434 AÎÏNALS OP THE BOYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. nambaríensis»
s t r o n g l y gibbous above, obliquely truncate at the mouth, arn:led
all round with large,
laminar, broad, triangular-lanceolate, solitary 2 - 3 cm. long,
less confluent,
transversely subseriatc, horizontal or slightly de flexed spines, which
a r e about the
same colour as the surface of the sheath or with the point slightly d{
a n d have
a very broad and concavo-convex base ; the spaces between these !
spines are
covered with much smaller ones, and these are triangular, ascendant,
Oerea very small, consisting of a short axillary, naked ligula and a
t h e mouth of the sheath. Leaves very large, about 3 metres in length in the pirniiierous
p a r t , terminating iu a rather robust cirrus, which is another metre in length and is
armed with half or three-fourths-whorls of light-based and black-tipped claws ; petiole
v e r y short (in leaves of the upper part of the adult plant), rounded beneath where
unarmed or nearly so, and flat above where more or less prickly on the surface as
at the side; rachis biconvex shortly beyond its base, sparsely spinulous there above
and naked beneath along the middle, armed with a few strong claws at the sides especially
1 - 5 mm. long.
•im at
under the insertion of the leaflets ; in its upper part obsoletely angular and smooth
above and armed beneath along the middle at first with solitary, then 3-nate and finally
half-whorled claws; leaflets r a t h e r numerous (about 30 on each side), very spreading or
subhorizontal with
distant from the
f r om 12-15 cm. i
remainder, pa pyre
rather distinct axillary callus at their insertion, remotely subequise
up to the summit, the intervals between the leaflets v a r y i ng
t h e upper thii'd part of the leaf and from 6-10 cm. in the
ious, glabrous, green, very slightly paler beneath than above where
subshining, very narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate-ensiform, very gradually acuminate
i n t o a slightly hristly tip, 3- or sometimes sub-o-costulate: the costa3 naked on both
surfaces, slender ; the mid-one .slightly stronger than the others ; transverse veinlets
r a t h e r prominent and crowded ; the margins very indintinctly and very adpressedly
spinulous ; the lower one bordered with a shining band in the upper surface ; the
largest leaflets, those a little above the base, up to 50 cm. long and 4 cm. hroad,
t h e lowest and the uppermost shorter and 2 ' 5 - 3 cm. broad. Male spadix simply
decompound or partially supra decompound, viz,, with the lower inflorescences branched
again, 1 - 1 ' 2 m. in length, rather lax, arched, .spreading, with 5 - 7 p a r t i a l inflorescences
on each side ; primary spathes tliinîy coriaceous, the first very short, 5-6 em. long,
flattened, more or less prickly, acutely two-edged, truncate at t b e mouth, terminating
i n a triangular dorsolly acutely keeled point; the upper primary spathes tubular,
closely sheathing, slightly enlarged in their upper part or narrowly tuhuliir-infunJibuliform,
finely longitudinally striate, otherwise almost polished, armed especially in their
upper part with short scattered horizontal or slightly deflexed prickles, more or lesg
obliquely truncate and entire at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular
dorsally keeled point ; partial inflorescences attached inside the mouth of their respective
r erect from these without an axillary callus, then arched
inflorescences 30-45 cm. in length, with 8-10 spikelets
. nearer to the base sometimes branched ; upper inflorescences
every case ar:,sin|
i g j lower partial
side, of whicli thosf
shorter ; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, unarmed or with a stragg
spathi
and
l i n g spinule, finely striately veined, entire and more or less obliquely truncate at the
mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular acute or acuminate point j spikelets
a t t a c h e d at the mouth of their respective spathe with a rather distinct axillary callus,
more or less arched, spreading or even deflexed; the lower ones, the larsrest, 3-4
cm. long with 14-18 very closely set flowers on each side, those of the summit
C. nambanensis-'] BECCAKI. MONOGRAPH OP THS GENUS CALAMUS. 435
one-half as long ; spathels very closely packed, imbricate, bracteiform, concave, broadly
ovate, finely striately veined, scaly-ciliolate at the margin, prolonged into a point which
subtends the base of the flower and after the fall of this projects beyond the involucre:
t h i s dimidiately cupular, acutely bidentate, two-keeled and deeply excavate on the
side next to the axis, the keels very sharp and ciliolate. Male flowers small, 3 mm.
lono- rather obtuse or apiculate; t h e calyx with a short, veined tube, its teeth as
long as the tube, broad at the base and with an acuminate point; the corolla
about twice as long as the calyx, the segments finely longitudinally striate.
flABITAT.—N.-E.
B e c c a r i . ) - N a f i v e na
luclii : The Nambar
H o k a - B h e t " (Man
Forest
0-
Assam {G. Man H e r b .
Obse'kvations.—This
though very s
approximate in
seems very nearly allied to C. inermin, but the leaflets
V in every respect to the shape of this, are oquidistaiit and not
s. It seemr. also related to some forms of C. pahslris, from
which however it also differs in the regularity of the distribution of its leaflets.
T h e armature of the leaf-sheaths reminds us much of that of 0. latifolius var.
marmoratus, but in C. nambaricmis the secondary spines are ascendant.
T o the kindness of l l r . G, Mann I am also indebted for another specimen
of a fruit-spadlx without leave.s of a Calamus collectcd also on the Khasia Hills and
forwarded to me with the same number (4) as the male specimens described above.
T h i s spadix, wldch bear.s quite mature Eruit, is about 1 metre in length, less
diffuse tlmn that of C. khasianus, spreading, arched, with T partial inflorescences and
t e r m i n a t i n g in a tail-like strongly aculeate, 8 cm. long appendix; the first
spatho v e i y short acutely two-edged, 6 cm. long, with a few short prickles .
upper purt; upper primary spathes °
long,
narrowly tabular-infundibuliform,
closely sheathir
armed in their upper part with
rather strong and short claws;
p a r t i a l infloresd
uces attached at the mouth of their
respective spathes more or less
callous at their
upper axilla, spreading, arched; the
lower ones 35-40 cm. in length
witli 6-7 s
each side; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, about
2 cm. long,
icate and entire at the mouth with 1-2 small claws in their upper
^ a r t ; spikelets spreading, arched, attached just above the mouth of their own s]
w i t h a distinct axillary callus, very similar to those of C. khasianus, but with
shorter and more distinctly infundibuliform spathols, the larger ones 10-J2 cm.
Ion"' with about 10-12 flowers on each side, strongly zig-zag-sinuous; spathels
infundibuliform, truucate at the mouth, very n
t h e base, where therefore
t h e axis of the spikelet is very slender
every bend ; iuvolucrophori
cupular, truncate, almost entire, two-keeled and obsoletely bidentate on the
side next to the axis; involucre cupular, truncate, subcrenulate at the m a r g i n;
not or very obsoletely bidentate on the side of the neuter flower; areola of
t h e neuter flower lunate. FruUing perianth shortly but very distinctly pedieelliform;
t h e calyx conspicuously constricted at the throat, depressedly subventrioosc. FruU large,
b r o a d l y ovate, almost equally rounded at both ends, very suddenly and distinctly
mucronate, at the apex with a short caudiculum penetrating into the perianth, .30-32
mm. l o n g ' ( i n c l u d i n g the caudiculum and the mucro) and 21-23 mm. in diam.; scales
cinnamon-brown, shin:mg, in 21 series, deeply channelled along the middle with a dark
piont and a very narrow intramarginal lino; the margin erosely toothed. Seed broadly
Ann. Eoy. Bot. Calcuita Vol. XI.