4 5 6 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GAJIDEN, CALCUTTA. [Q, UNIFAMS'
branched spadix with very small fruits. It shows remarkable affinities witli the
ispeeies of the group of C. siplionospathus, but the spathes are narrow and
sheathing. Its nearer ally however is C. microsvhacrion.
PLATE 205.—Calamus raiiiulosus Portion of a sheathed stem with the
base of a leaf and an entiro female spadix -with very few flowers remaining upon
i t ; branchlet -with immature fruit (in the upper part of the plate); an intermediate
portion of a leaf; the cirriferous summit of a leaf.—From Mertill's
No. 2070 in Herb. Berol.
176. CALAIIUS UNIFAKIUS, H. Wendl. in Bot. Zoit. xvii (1859), 158; Miq. FL.
I n d . , Bat. iii, 749 and De Palmis, 2S; Becc. in Ree. Bot. Sur7.
I n d . ii, 212.
Calai. spp., Nos. 9 and 14, Zoll. Syst. Verzeichn. 79.
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent and robust. Sheaihai stem 3-3-0 cm. in diam. Leafshiaths
strongly gibbous above, obliquely truncate at the mouth, armed with very
narrow, acicular, 1-3 cm. long, pale-brown or schistaceoua, scattered, rather
numerous, horizontal spines, which rest on a bulbous base and leave a distinct
impression of theii' outline on the surface above theoi; these impressions are glabrous,
while the spaces between them are thinly rusty-furfuraceous in the newly
expanded leaves, later the entire surface is glabrous. Ocrea very shortly liguhform.
Leaves large; those of the upper part of the adult plant cirriferous, 1-7 m. long in
t h e pinniferous p a r t ; the cirrus armed very closely near the summit with black-tipped
scattered or confluent, but not r e g u l a r l y half-whorled claws; petiole almost obsolete;
rackis glabrous, in the first portion depressedly sub-biconvex, covered above with
small, erect, short, scattered prickles, armed at the margins and sometimes also
b e n e a t h along the middle with a few straight spines, which gradually pass higher
up into claws, these solitary at first and then more or less confluent but not digitate
or half-whorled, bifaced and smooth on the salient angle towards the summit in the
uppor surface; leaflets not very numerous, 15-20 on each side, the lower ones usually
opposite, the others alternate, subequidistanc and remote, 6-10 cm. apart and the
terminal ones still more remote, lanceolate or lanceolate-ensiform, almost equally
t a p e r i n g towards both ends, acute at the base, acuminate at the summit into a bristlyspiuulous
tip, papyraceous, firm, plicate many-nerved, not or slightly concavo-convex,
subconcolot'ous on both surfaces and green though dry, with 5 or oven 7 slender
costae which arc slightly prominent in the upper surface, and naked on both
surfaces except that of the centre above, which sometimes is sparingly bristlyepiuulous
near the summit and is f u r n i s h e d with 1 - 2 rigid spinules near its baso •
transversB veinlety very numerous, approximate, very minute; margins closely and
a d p r e s s e d l y spinulous; the lower margin on the upper surface often bordered with a
s h i n i n g b a n d ; the largest Iveflsts, those a little above the base, 30-50 cm. long,
4 - 7 cm. b r o a d ; the upper ones gradually smaller; the two of the lowermost pair
: and slightly callous at their insertion. Male spadix ultra-decompound,
elongate, 1 m.—1-5
specimens 10-11 partial infloi
V8 m. long, with 7 - 8 ; v e r y visjorous
i n a slender, aculeokte, lO-^i) cm.
C. unifarius] BECCAEI. MONOGEAPH OF THE GENUS C4LAMUS. 4 5 7
long, flagelliform appendix; primary spathes fugaciously rusty-furfuraceous, thinly
coriaccous, tubular, closely sheathing, entiro, the first and in lesser degree the next
one somewhat flattened and two-edged, the others more elongate, cylindraceous, slightl
y enlarged above, obliquely truncato at the mouth and prolonged at one side into a
short triangular dorsally keeled and acnleolate point, more or less sprinkled, especially
i n the upper portion, with short straight horizontal or deflcxed prickles ; partial
iniîorescences inserted at or a little above the mouth of their own spathe, panicled
pyramidate, the lower ones the largest, 20 cm., with numerous (10-12) distichous
branchlots at theii- base and many simple gradually smaller spikelets upwards;
upper inflorescences gradually dccrea.sing in length and number of branchlets and
spikelets; the largest branchlets 5-6 cm. long, with 7-8 spikelets on each side,
branchlets and spikelets insorted outside, and sometimes far above, the mouth of
t h e i r own spathe with a distinct axillary callus; secondary and tertiary spathes tubularinfundibuliform,
papyraceous, unarmed, glabrous, finely striately veined, truncato,
naked, entire aiul scarious at the mouth, shortly apinulato at one side; spikelets
v e r y slender, arched and deflexed, their axis SHform, G-i2 mm. long, with 5-10
distichous flowers on each side; spatbels small, s h o r t l y tubular at the base «nd suddenly
expanded into a bracteiform, ovate, acute, strongly deflexed limb; involucre exsei-ted
f r om its own spatliel and laterally attached at the base of the one above, calyculiform,
subtending and not enveloping its flower, very slightly concave, strongly veined
more cr less acutely 3-dentate. Male ¡lowers ovoid, rather obtuse, 3-tiim. long, entirely
exsert f r om the involucre or with their base uot immersed in this ; tho calyx shortly
campanulate, striately veined, divided midway down into 3 very broad acute teeth;
t h e corolla twice as long as the calyx, its segments opaque, striate outside. Female
spadix simply decompound, otherwise similar to the male one ; the largest partial
inflorescences the lower ones, 15-30 cm. long, about 20 cm. apart, with 10-15
spikelets on each side; the upper ones much shorter, with :i-5 spikelets only on
each side, inserted just at the mouth of their own spathe, spreading, r a t h e r dense,
paniculate-pyramidate, their axis cylindraceous, rigid, slightly sinuous and gradually
narrowing towards the summit; secondary spathes tubular, slightly enlarged above,
horizontally truncate, entire and naked -at the moudi, striately veined, not or very
s l i g h t l y apiculate at one side; spikelets slightly arched, horizontally inserted above the
mouth of their own spathe with a distinct axillary callus, their axis rigid, slender,
cylindraceous and slightly narrowed towards the summit; the lower ones, the largest,
5 - 8 cm. long with 15-20 bifarious flowers on each side; spathels cylindraceous at
tho base suddenly expanded into a short truncate entire naked and not laterally
prolonged limb; involucrophorum v e r y short, explanate, irregularly discoid, sessile and
horizontally attached outside its own spathel about midway up tho one above and
more or less distinctly callous at its axilla ; involucre also explanate, i r r e g u l a r l y discoid •
areola of the neuter flower linear, depressed wilb a tumescent scar in the centre
Female Jlowers flatly hifarious, horizontal, small, about 3 mm. long ; the calyx with a
flat base, campanulate, not or indistinctly striately veined, divided midway down
i n t o 3 very broad mucronulate lobes; corolla very slightly larger than the calyx, its
segments acute, opaque outside. Fniiiing perianih not accrescent, distinctly pedicelliform.
Frvii globose or very slightly longer than broad, 1 cm. in diam,, topped by
ery short mucio with the : of the lall s t i g m a s ; scales slightly
, Eov. BOT. GABD. CALCUTTA YOL. X I.