446 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [(?. albuS.
of the corolla also polished outside, acuto, about as l o u g as but narrower than the lobes
of the calyx. Fruit globoso-obovoid or obovoid-subturbiuato, rounded at t h e summit
•where topped by a distinct mucro, caudiculate at tiio base, 18-19 raru. loug (including
t h e muci'o and the perianth), 12-14 mm, broad; scales in 15 series, shining, rather
convex, f a i n t l y channelled along the middle, straw-coloured with the point obtuse
aomotimes slightly prolonged and spotted with reddish-brown; tlie margins scarious,
erosely toothed, usually lighter or with vestiges of a very narrow darker intrumarginal
line. Seed whon covered with the dry integument, which even when dry
r e t a i n s a very acid taste, ovoid, about 10 mm. long, boldly tubcrcled and deeply
p i t t e d on the back when freed from tlie integument, flattish, with a superficial
chalazal fovea on the raphal side; albumen coarsely ruminate; embryo basal.
HABITAT.—Humph says that this species grew in sandy places on the northern
p a r t of the Gulf of Amboina, and that it received the names of " R o t t a n g (or Ua)
p u t t i " ( = w h i t e ) and more specially that of " Ua E l a " or " U a Ahun T a y n , " that is
to say, the " p i g e o n or bii^d dung R o t a n g " on account of the white patches on its
leaf-slieaths.
Rumph gives also many details about the uses of this Rotang, which is of a good
q u a l i t y and much employed, like the? other species, either whole or reduced to strips.
OBSEBVATIONS.—I have written the description of 0. alius on very complete cultiv
a t e d specimens, which I have received from the Botanic Garden of Buitenzorg, but
I havo not a shade of doubt about these being conspocific with the plant described
and figm-ed in tho I t c r b a r i um Amboinense, as one authentic specinieu of C. albus
f r om Rumph himself has been found by me amongst the ancient collections of
t h e Museum of Natural History in Florence. It is now well known that in the
y e a r 1683 Rumph sent a very large collection of the Natural History objects of
which he made use for the description and the plates of his famous works to the
Grand Duke of Tuscany (see M. Miirtclii: Le Collezioni di G. E. Rumph; Florence
1903). Of these collections one catalogue was written by G. Targioni-Tozzetti,
and in this are enumerated two species of Palmijtmcus and precisely the F. albus
and the [P. Calapparius Dwmonorops Cahpparnts) (Martelli 1. c. p. 163) which
probably are now the only extant botanical specimens of all the plants described or
figured in the " H e r b a r i um Amboincnse." Rmnph's authentic specimen of Falmifuncus
albus {C. albus) consists of a portion of a partial intiurescence, 16 cm. in length,
with 3 spikeiets on each side, which bear still attached 11 fruits. This specimen
i u the minutest details exactly agrees with the corresponding parts of the cultivated
plants, only the fruit in Rumph's specimen is slightly larger, being riper.
Rumph describes the ieaf-shcaths of Pabmjunciis albus as mottled, but this
character, as I have observed in other species, is ofton only apparent in the very
y o u n g sheaths of the upper part of the plant, wliile the specimens I have examined
were all adults. Further in Rumph's plate the sheaths appear armed with
wborlod spines, whereas they are scattered in the Euitenzorg specimens. These
v a r y a good deal in size, some of them having the sheathed stem 2 cm. in diam-,
while it is 5 cm. iu others.
0. pallidulus.'] BECCARI. A10NÜGEAPH OF THB GENUS CALAMUS. 4 4 7
I n the Botanic Garden of Buitenzorg this seems a species which has spread
out amongst the others, as I have received it with 5 different numbers and different
localities and none from the Moluccas; one is said to come from Timor, In a
confined space it is very difficult to keep the species of Calamus distinct when they
a r e cultivated close together, as their seeds fall to the soil and germinate promiscuously,
and the more invading species take the place reserved for the others.
PLATE 199.—Calamus albus, Pers.—The base of a leaf with portion of its leaffiheatli;
two leaflets with portion of their rachis, this seen f r om the upper surface;
p o r t i o n of the cirriferous summit of a l e a f ; portion of a f r u i t spadix; spikolet with
mature f r u i t ; seeds.—From a plant cultivated at Buitenzorg, Herb. Becc.
170. CALAMUS PALLIDULUS Becc. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 457 and in
Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 211.
DESCRIPTION.—Rather slender or of moderate size, Shealhed stem 13—20 mm. in
diam. Leaf-sheaths (not fiagelliferouB ?) very thick, coriaceous, greenish or light strawcolourcd
(as almost every ether part of the plant though dry) armed like the
base of the petiole on its back with short strong spines which rest on a broad
a n d swollen base. Leaves with !i, short (30-40 cm. long) pinniferous part and
lengthened out into a rather long and robust cirrus ; petiole very short or
almost obsolete; rachis and cirrus strongly armed beneath with uniform, blacktipped,
3-fid claws ; leaflets veiy few, 4-5 on each side, incquidistant but
not aggregate, light yellowish-green when dry, rigid, perganientaceous, paler beneath
t h a n above, elongate-ensiform, tapering towards the base, gradually or even ratlier
suddenly narrowed at the summit into an elongate naked (not hairy or bristly)
t i p ; the lower ones distinctly callous at theix insertion, 20—25 cm. Jong, 15-20 mm.
or occasionally 30-iS5 mm. broad and then lanceolate, with the mid-costa acuto
a n d the side nerves slender; all nerves naked on both surfaces; transverse
veiulets rather distinct, especially above; margin remotely spinulous. Male
spadix Female spaaix diffuse, not flagelHform, relatively large (not
seen entire); primary spathes tubular-cylindraccous, 7-8 cm. long, slightly enlarged
above, and slightly narrowed towards the base where flattish on the inner side
t h i n l y coriaceous, closely sheathing, truncate, entire and densely ciliate-paloaceous at
t h e mouth, where shortly prolonged at one side into a triangular acute point, armed
w i t h rather numerous, scattered, very smnll, light-based blaek-tipped claws; the first
not differing from the following; partial inflorescences rather approximate (about 10
cm. apart), spreading, inserted above the mouth of their own spathe witli a distinct
a x i l l a r y callus; those seen by me í¿C-35 cm. long with 5 - 8 distichous spikeiets on
each side and terminating in a very short slender tail-like unarmed api)endix.
secondary spathes tubular and slightly infundibuliform, 2-'¿-ó cm. long, trmicate
and densely ciliate-paleaccous at the mouth where shortly extended at one side into a
t r i a n g u l a r , patent, acute point, sparsely cculeolate, especially near the summit and
on ^the outer side and further more or less covered with small adpressed ferrugineoug
t u f t s of hair which rest upon small asperities of the surface ; spikeiets inserted just
at the mouth of their respective spathe with a distinct axillary callua, slightly