432 ANNALS OF THE EOYAL BOTANIC GARDEN. CALCUTTA. [Q. khasionus.
above. Ocrea very short, consisting of a small axillary glabrous naked ligula aud a
n a r r ow margin to the mouth of the sheath. Leaves very large, very similar to those of
C. inemis as to the distribution of the leaflets mid the general dimensions, tcroiinatiug
ill a robust cirrus, which ia armod with robust half-whorled or scattered claws;
petiole of the leaves of the uppar part of the fertile plant very short, very stout,
even 3 cui. broad, flattish above, more or less prickly at the margius, rounded
beneatii, where naked or with a f ew strong claws; rachis in its first portion similar to
t h e petiole, upwards very obsoletely angular above, roundish beneath, where strongly
armed at first with solitary and then ternate claws; leaflets ¡japyrnceous, rigid
g r i ' en even when dry, slightly paler beneath than above, glabrous, usually in pairs
or eveu 3-4 approximate on each side of the rachis with long (15-20 cm.) vacant
spaces interposed (the
t h e other side) very
2-5-3-5 cm. broad, n.
g r a d u a l l y acuminate iu
costae slender, the mid-nne,
v e r y sparingly spiiuilous aboclose
ips of one side alternate with or subopposite to those of
xowly lanceolate or lanceolate-eusiform, 40-50 cm. long,
'ed towards the base, slightly callous at their insertion,
b r i s t l y penicillate tip, 3- and sometimes sub-")-co8tulate; the
t h e strongest, usually naked like the other two or all
3, always naked beneath; transverse veinlets rather distinct^
;
margins finely and adpressedly spinulous, upper leaflets
together aud continuous;usually solitary, broader aud
a n d more distinctly lanceolate or oblanceolate
t h a n the lower ones. Male spadix . . . . Female spadix simply decompound, rather
robust aud diffuse, spreading and arched, 1-2-1-5 m. long, with many partial inflorescences;
primary spathes coriaceous, tubular, closely sheathing, short, 10-15 cm. long;
the lowest considerably flattened, acutely two-edged and more or less prickly at the
sides, truncate at the mouth; the upper ones more cylindraceous, slightly narrowed
towards the base or very narrowly infundibuliform, truncate at the mouth and
prolonged at one side into a triangular dorsally keeled point, more or less densely
aculeolate in their upper part; partial inflorescences arched, very spreading or deflexed,
t e r m i n a t i n g in a small tail-like, rigid, prickly appendix; some of the lower inflorescences
attached inside their respective spathes and not callous at the axilla, but the
others exsert and callous at the axilla; the lower ones, the largest, up to 70-80 cm.
long, with 8 - 9 spikelets on each side, the upper ones somewhat shorter; socoudary
almr)st polished, tubular-infundibulifonn, 3-6 cm. long, thinly coriaceous,
at the mouth, entire, prolonged at one side into a short triangular point
f ew scattered prickles on the back; spikelets inserted at the mouth of their
e spathes, with a rather distinct axillary callus, arched, spreading, horizontal
or even recui-vecl; the larger ones, the lowest, even 20 cm. long, with 16-16 flowers
on each side, the uppermost about half as long, robust, tough, zig-zag-sinuous; spatliels
symmetrically infundibuliform, somewhat attenuate at the base (not subventricoso),
at the mouth, distinctly apiculate at one side,
caly-furfuraceous; involucrophorum laterally attiiclied
its own, without a distinct axillary callus next to
two-keeled, bidentate and with the roargin slightly
a x i s ; involucre moulded on the involuorojjhorum,
areola of the neuter flower lunate. Fniiting
with callous cylindraceous or subventricose
spathes
t r u nc
with
rcspectiv
b o i i z o n t a l l y truncate and
almost polished, more or
at the bane of t h e spathel
abov(
t h e axis, shallowly cupular,
excavate on the side next
cupular, shallow, with nearly entire margin,
perianth distinctly pedicellii'orm; the calyx
tubo and short t e e t h;
of the calyx and as
t h e segments
. these.
)f the
Fruit
somewhat i
e)
than the teeth
obose, almost splioerio,
C. mmbariensis.'] BECOAIÌI. MONOGEAPH OF THE GENTJS CALAMUS.
v e r y suddenly mucronate and with a shoi-t caudiculum at the
t h e perianth, 26-27 mm. long including the mucro and the
i n diam. ; scales in 18 series, shining, deep'
middle, yellowish, with a narrow intramarg:
t h e small triangular point, margin very
15 mm. long, 13 mm. broad, strongly and
w i t h a narrow longitudinal furrow on the
indistinct punctiform chalazal fovea; albumen
)a8e which enters into
caudiculum and 2 cm.
id narrowly channelled along the
il brown line more extended towards
finely erose. Seed globular, about
p i t t ed on the entire surface,
,phal side parting from the central
uperficially ruminate; embryo basal.
HABITAT.—I consider as type specimens of this species those that Mr, G. M am
collected with mature fruit in J u n e 1888 in t h e Khasia Hills and which were kindly
forwarded to me. I have little doubt, however, that the specimens collected by Sir
J . D. Hooker and Dr. T. Thomson in August 1850 with immature fruit at Churra,
a n d Nowgong in the Ladder Valley, also in tho Khasia Hills, must be r e f e r r e d to
C. khagiams, as also some other sterile specimens from T u r a (Garo Hills) and Lakkat
(700 m.) collected by Mr. C. B. Clarke. A note by Clarke appended to specimens
f r om Lakkat (probably detached from a young not yet fertile plant) declares these
to belong to a tree 15 feet high and quite erect with spiral rows of prickles in
many series up the stem; the fronds 1-pinnate. Another note to the specimen
f r om Tura says:—" Tenga. Fruit edible. Tho same rottang cultivated below
Nonghedem."
OBSERVATIOKS.—I have been long hesitating whether I ought to consider this-
Calamtts as distinct specifically from 0. inermii or as only a variety of it. And indeed
the name inermis is a very inappropriate one for C. Jchasiamts, wMch sometimes, especially
in young plants, has the leaf-sheaths armed with formidable spines. This character
would not have been, however, sufficient for basing upon it alone a new species of
Calamus; but 0. khasianus differs fui-ther from C. incrmis in its diffuse and not strict
spadices with larger spreading partial inflorescences inserted outside their own spathes
o f t e n with a distinct axillary callus; in the spikelets also spreading, arched and callousat
their insertion; in the not subventrieose spafhels and in the spha^ric not elliptic
f r u i t , in the globose seed and in the f r u i t i n g perianth not distinctly ven tricóse.
Nevertheless the affinities of C. khasianus with 0. inermis are so great, that
probably the first is only a local f o rm of the second, and it is not impossible that
i n t e r m e d i a t e forms may occur, tliough, as Griffith has already pointed out (Griff.
Palms, p. 108), " t h e plants of Khaaia Hills are generally distinct from those of
t h e Himalayas." Tho young plants of 0. khasianus seem to be erect and with
non-cirriferous leaves.
Pi.ATK 192.—Calamus khasianus Beca. Portion of the sheathed stem; an intermediate
portion of a leaf (under-surface); partial inflorescence with mature f r u i t;
detached fruits and seeds, one of these longitudinally cut.—From Mann's specimens
in Herb. Becc.
164. Calamus nambamicksis Becc. sp. n.
Deschiption-.—Scandent,
sheaths of a light-ein n am on
r a t h e r robust. Sheathed aiem 3-4 cm. in diam. Leafcolour
when dry, glabrescent or lightly scaly-furfuraeeous.
Abn Roy. BOT. GAI