ANKALS OF THE KOYAL BOTANIC GARDEM, CALCRXTA. [C. plalyacanthus.
(estriatc), divided midway down into 3 broad acute lobes; segments of the corolla
opaque, barely longer and a good deal narrower than tlie lobes of thecalyx. Fniii
r a t h e r large, the only one, not quite mature, seen by mc, 28 mm. long, ovoidelliptic,
very suddenly and shortly beaked and crowued by the small slender
r e c u r v e d stigmas and with a small basal caudiculum enclosed in the p e r i a n t h;
scales in lo scries, broadly and rather deeply chanaolled along the middle, shining,
yellowish-brown with a very broad almost black marginal line, tip short obtuse,
margins erosely toothed. Seed
HABITAT.—The Malayan Peninsula. Discovered by Father Scortechini in the State
of Ferak (dcoriechtni in Hci'b. Becc.) and found again in the State of Johore at
K w a k Tebiug Tinggi by H. N. liidley iu 1901. (Ridley Nos. 11202 and 11203
i n Herb. Eerol.)
ONSERVATIONS.—Tiiis is one of the largest species of Oalciwis known, very closely
r e l a t e d to C. -OfrwdM, f r om which it differs iu Uie leaflets paler beneath than above,
with smooth margin, and in the spikelets shorter, stouter and distinctly flattened.
Scortechini's specimen consists of a portion of a male spadix out of flower, a small
portion of a very large leaf, and an entire partial inflorescence witli only one
immature fruit. Ridley's specimens arc more complete as to the leaves, but the
female spadix bears only ovaries iu course of development. The leaves evidently
t e r m i a a t o in a flagellum; the leaflets are as much as 14-16 cm. apart on each side,
where there is often a tendency to be approximate in pairs, subglaucescent beneath ;
t h e rachis subhiconvex in section in its first portion where rather densely armed beneath
a t the sides with stout claws, bifaced above towards the summit where armed beneath
with half-whorled claws. The female spadix terminates in an abortive fliigellum
which is 40 cm. long and is armed all round with solitary broad-based black-tipped
claws, the partial inflorescences are 25-35 cm. long with 5-6 spikelets on each
side, these somevi'hat more slender than in Scortechini's specimen.
PLATE 197—Calamus giganteus, Becc. Leaf-sheath with base of the petiole ;
portion of leaf from near the base (upper surface); portion of the female spadix
f r om near its base, with an entii-e partial inflorescence and one imrtiature f r u i t;
b r a n c h k ' t from a male spiidix when all the flowers had fallen away.—From
Scortechini's specimen in Herb. Becc.
168. CALAUtis PLATYACASTHUS Waab. (name only in Herb. Berol.) not of Mart.
DESCRIPTIOX.—Robust, not very Iifgh scandent. Lea/shcaths apparently 4-5 cm.
i n diam, almost woody, gibbous above, fearfully armed with very large, flat,
laminar, elongate, triangular-k luceolate, very acuminate, very approximate, solitary
or more often confluent-subseriiite or subverticillate spines, which are light-coiuured
greenish-brown like the she a ths ainnd s ome t ime s aattttaaiinn t h e e n o rmo u s l e n g t h of 8 - 9
cm. being 10-15 mm. broad at their base; the spaces l)etween
spines are covered as in C. nambaricnsis with smaller asci?ndent ones,
short, reduced to a small axillary glabrous and naked ligula and a narrow ri
t h e mouth of the sheath. Leaves very large, apparently very much like those of
C. Ichasianus, but seen by me only in a very fragmentary state; petiole flat above,
those large
Ocrea very
C. platyacanthus-'\ ÍJECOAEI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 44.T
•where its surface is covered with small erect prickles, rounded bei
rachis
t h e intermediate portion of the leaf) obsoletely bifaced above,
;x beneath,
where armed on each side with solitary and along the )
iddle geminate (probably
t e r n a t e higher up) rather robust claws; leaflets large,
concavo-convex, oblong or
oblancoolate, 43 cm. long, 8 - 9 cm. broad, papyraceous, fii
opaque, green, slightly
paler beneath, attenuate towards the base, somewhat callous at their insertion, rati'
suddenly narrowed to the summit into a short laterally bristly spinulous tip, with
6 cost® and 2 - 3 secondary slender nerves between each of them ; tlie cost» slender
but rather acute and all about of the same strength, naked or occasionally
sparingly spinulous in the upper surface, indistinct and naked beneath, transverse
veinlets numerous very slender ; margins acute, very closely and adpressedly
spinulous, the lower one bordered in the upper surface with a shining band. Male
Fmah gpadh- 60 cm. long {Balansa) with a few diffuse partial
inflorescences, apparently a good deal like that of Ü. klmiamts ; upper primary spathes
t u b u l a r , closely sheathing, narrowed towards the base, here flat on the inner and
convex on the outer side, where armed with straight and somewhat deflexed prickles ;
t h e largest partial inflorescence seen by me 35 cm. long, spreading, somewhat callous
at its insertion with 11 (in all) distichous spikelets and terminating in a very
short prickly caudiculum ; upper inflorescences a good deal shorter than the lower ones ;
secondary spathes narrowly tubular-infundibuliform, 2-5 cm. long, truncate at thè
mouth, prolonged at on© side into a triangular decayed point, rnther densely prickly
all round but especially on the back of their upper part ; spikelets spreading or
deflexed, inserted af the mouth of theii- respective spathes with a rather distinct
axillary callus; the lower ones, the largest, 8 cm. long with 9 - 1 0 flowers on each
s i d e ; the upper ones much shorter, strongly zig-zag-sinuous between each flower;
spathels asymmetrically infundibuliform, narrowed a good deal towards the base,
horizontally truncate and entire at the mouth where densely ciliolate-paleaceous.
d i s t i n c t ly apicuiatc at one side, not s t r i a t e l y veined, usually furnished with a hooked
spine on the middle of their back, more or less scaly-furfuraceous ; involucrophorum
l a t e r a l ly attached to the base of the spathel above its own with a rather distinct
a x i l l a r y callus naxt to the axis, cupular, rather shallow, flat, two-kceled, bidentate
a n d slightly excavate on the side next to the axis; involucre moulded on the
involucrophorum, cupular. rather shallow, more or loss distinctly bidentate, remotely
e s c a v a t e b e twe e n tt h ee tt ee ee tt h on tthie side of tho n e u t e r flower,"otherwise e n t i r e a n d
t h e m a r g i n ; areola of the n
perianth distinctly pedicelliform;
rolla
ciliolate-furfu!
bordered. F
short and broad t e e t h ; the segments of th<
lobes of the calyx and almost shorter than
elliptic, very suddenly mucronate, 22 mm.
pedicelliform perianth, and 13-14 mm. broad;
channelled along the middle yellowish-brown '
t h e deeper colour extending at the aides as a
n a r r o w l y but distinctly scarious and finely
10-12 mm. long, 7 mm. broad, not or very
boldly tubercled on the back, with a narrow
of th" raphal side; albumen slightly ruminate:
suter flower lunate, very sharply
the calyx cylindraceous with 3
a good deal narrower than the
these. Fruit when quite ripe ovoidl
o n g including the mucro and the
scales in 18 series, shining, deeply
pith a slightly elongate darker point,
n a r r ow intramarginal line, the margins
erosely toothed. Seed ovoid-oblong,
s l i g h t l y flattened, strongly pitted and
elongate chnlazal fovea on the centre
embryo basal.
AKN. ROY. BOT, GARD.