ANNALS OP T H E ROYAL BOTANIC GAEDEN, CALOURRA. [(?. POLYDESMUS.
1 6 1 . CALAMOS DOKI^I Becc.
Bot. Sui'T. lud. ii,
Hook. f. PI. Brit. Ind., vi, 456, auJ
211.
DESCRIPTION.—Slem . . . . Leaves . . . . Female spadix diffuse, apparently
noEcirriferous (not seen e n t i r e ) ; primary spathes . . . .; partial inflorescences with
r i g i d arched axis and terminating in a slender barely S2)iiiulous tail-like appendix ;
t h e largest seen by me 30 cm. long with 6 spikelots on each sido; secondary spathes
t u h u l a r . slightly infundibuiiforiu, closoly sheathing, unarmed, 2 cm. long, truncate and
naked at the mouth where extended at one sido into a rather long, acute, patent
or deflexed point ; spikelets inserted just above the mouth of their own spathe with a
small axillai'y callus, horizontal or deflexed, slightly arched, zig-zag-sinuous, tlie larger
ones, the lowest, B cm. long with 7-9 horizoatal flowers on each side, the uppermost
shorter with 5-6 flowers iu a l l ; spathels iafundibuliform, narrow at the base, horizontally
truncate and entii-e at tlie mouth, extended at one side into a broadly
t r i a n g u l a r acute point; involucrophornoi subtended by the point of its own spathel
and laterally attached at the baso of the one above, shortly cupular, two-keeled and
b i d e n t a t e on the sido next to the axis ; involucre cupular, its margin entire, undulate ;
areola of the neuter flower depressedly lunate, sharply bordered. FndUng perianth
d i s t i n c t ly pedicelliforin, its indurated calyx depressedly ventiicose with 3 broad,
t r i a n g u l a r acute lobes; the segments of the corolla slightly longer but narrower
t h a n the lobes of the calyx, both patent under the fruit. Fruit elongate-elliptic,
22-25 mm. long, 11-12 mm. broad, equally rounded at both ends, topped by a stout
cylindric, 2 mm. long beak, witJi a small caudiculuin at the base which penetrates into
t h e perianth; scales small, in about 21 series, shining, yellowish, brown only on the
short tip, narrowly and deeply channelled along the middle, maigins finely erosely
toothed. Seed oblong, subcylindraceous, its surface pitted ; the cliolazal fovea indist
i n c t ; albumen superficially r u m i n a t e ; embryo sub-basilar, slightly shifted on one side.
HABITAT.—Burma ; discovered in March 188S by my lamented friend Sig.
Leonardo Fea at Taho on the Karin Gheccu mountains.
OBSERVATIONS.—The materials from which the description above is derived consist
only of two detached partial inflorescences with mature f r u i t.
I t seems related to C. inermis and C. Jchasiamts, but is abundantly distinct by
its smaller elongate fruit.—See observations under C. polydesmus,
PLATE 191.—Calamus Doria^i Boec. The two partial ioflorescences (in Herb,
Becc.) upon which the species" has been founded.
1 6 2 . CALAMU.S POLYDIISSIUS BECC. SP. n.
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent, apparently rather robust. Leaf-sheailis . . . . Leaves
a p p a r e n t l y cirriferous, but their summit not seen by me; in the intermediate portion
t h e rachis is rather robust, nut very acutely angular, bifaced above, and obsoletely
angular-convex beucath, where armed with very robust claws, which are solitary lower
dosvn and geminate upwards; leaflets very distinctly grouped in fascicles of 2-3,
papyraceous, glabrous, light green (when dry) and concolorous on both surfaces, linearlanceolate,
g r a d u a l l y acuminate to the summit, 20-22 cm. long, 18-25 mm. broad,
C. bhasianus.'] BECCARI, MO.VOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMÜS. 4 3 1
sub-5 • CO st u l a t e , the mid-costa rather acute and the side nerves slender, all naked on both
surfaces; margins apinulous-serrulate; in each fascicle the leaflets are very approximate
by their base and divergent or pointing different ways. Male s^mdix . . . .
Female spadix apparently non-cirriferous (not seen entire by me); primary spat lies
tubular, slightly enlarged above, not very elongate (those seen by mo 5-6 cm.
3ong) rather closely sheathing, channelled near the base on the inner side, entire at
t h e moutb, prolonged at the summit into a rather elongate triangular point, faintly
keeled and with a few prickles on the back near their summit; partial inflorescences
inserted above the mouth of their own spathe with 3-4 spikelets on each side;
secondary spathes tubular, slightly i n f u n d i b u l i f o r m , smooth, 12-15 mm. long, entire
and truncate at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular point; spikelets
inserted outside the mouth ef their respective spathe -with a distinct axillary callus;
spathels infundibuliform, truncate and entire at the mouth, extended at one side into
a very short broadly triangular point; involucrophorum exsert from its own spathe
a n d laterally attached at the base of that above its own, shortly cupular, twokeeled
and bidentate on the side next to the a x i s ; involucre shghtly e.-cceeding the
involucrophorum, cupular, its margin undulate; areola of the neuter flower lunate,
s h a r p l y bordered. Fruiting perianth distinctly pedicelliform, indurated, cylindraeeous.
Fruit . . . .
HABITAT.—Central Burma, at Byinkyé (alt. 1,200 m.) discovered by Mr. W. U.
Craddoek (Herb. Calc.). The label bears also the following i n d i c a t i o n s A cane
3"~9" girth. Fruit 9. 3. 02."
OBSERVATIONS.—Of this species I have seen only an intci-mediate portion of a
leaf, a portion of a young female spadix, and a spikelet, detached from a fruit
spadix, but with only a f r u i t i n g p e r i a n t h left attached to it. This spikelet is 10 cm.
long and bears distichously 9 flowers on each s i d e ; the spikelets of the young spadix
bear 5-6 flowers only on each side.
The structure of the female spikelet is very similar to tliat met with in O. Dorimi
but of this the leaves are unknown and as the specimen of C. polydesmus is witliout
f r u i t , it is difficult to compare the two. It may indeed transpire that the two are
not distinct specifically when both become better known.
PLATE 191A.-Calamus polydesmus Becc. Portion from near the summit of a
young female spadix; spikelet from a fruit-spadix with only a f r u i t i n g perianth still
attached to it; an intermediate portion of a leaf; these parts constitute Mr. Craddock's
e n t i r e type specimen in Herb. Calc.
1 6 3 . CALAJIUS KDASIANUS B e c c . sp, n.
DESCKIPTION.-HIGH scandent and very robust. Sheathed stem 5 em. in diam • naked
canes 2'o-3 cm.; the internodes about 25 cm. long. Lcaf-skcaths light-colonred when
dry, almost poh-shed, not or indistinctly longitudinally striate, strongly gibbous above
obliquely truncate at tbe mouth, more or less armed m'äinly on the back with very
large, scattered or slightly conflucnt (not in whorls), altogether light-coloured laminar
v e r y broad, lanceolate, 2-8 cm. long spines, which leave impressed their outline'
on the sheaths, and have a base up to 2 cm, broad, concave beneath and tumescent