478 ANNALS OP THE EOYAL BOTANIC ßAKDEN, CALCUTTA. \G. microcarpus
or pergameutaoeous, glabrous, finely longitudinally striolate, prolonged at the summit
into a short triangular acute point, sliortiy split on the ventral side ut the summit,
naked at the mouth; partial ioñoresconcea inserted far inside the month of their
respective spathe with a distinct elongate pedicelliform part, short, difEiise, with few
(3-4) snikelets on eafih side, of which the lower ones occasionally branched; their axis
rigid, zig-7.fig-8Ínuous; secondary spathes tubular, slightly infandibuliforni not very
closely sheatliing in their upper part, finely iongitudiiially striate, horizontally truncate,
entire, and scarious at the margin, very shortly apiculate at one side; spikelets
spreading, attached far above the mouth of their respective spathe or about midway
up the axial part between two spathes. filiform, rigid, cylindraceous, slightly «ig-zagsinuous
between the flowers, 4-5 cm, long, with 10-12 liorizontal flowers on each
side ; spathels tubular-cylindraceous at the base, suddenly expanded at the smnmit into
a short annular truncate scarious limb; involucrophorum laterally attached outside its
own spathel at the base of the one above, sessile, explanate, scale-like; involucre
irregular, also scale-like with a broad, circular, flat area for the insertion of the flower;
areola of the neuter flower small, depressed, callous. Female flowers very small (3 mm,
long); calyx tubular with 3 short very broad triangular teeth; segments of the corolla
ovate, somewhat longer than the calyx. Fniiting perianth distinctly pedicelliform, the
base flat. Fi-uit very small, globose, 6-7 mm. in diani., with a very shortly conic
muero; scales comparatively large and few, in 12 series, greyish, shining, deeply
channelled along the middle and distinctly gibbous near the point, this obtuse, the
margin scarious, cilio!ate. Seed very small, globular, 4 mm. in diam. coarsely and
rather deeply alveolate on the surface, with a small round and deep chalazal fovea;
albumen bony, equable but with superficial intrusions of the integument; embryo
basal.
HABITAT.—The Philippines : Luzon in the Prov. Camarinas Sur, {Vidal No. 3952
in Herb. Becc. and Kew); Central Luzon, {Loher No. 1360 and 1368 in Herb. Kew).
OBSERVATIOKS.—Allied to Ü. sipJionospathug from which it differs in the less
inflated spathes, distinctly grouped leaflets, in the less branched partial inflorescences,
and in the fruit with very deeply channelled scales.
In the Herbarium of Berlin I have seen a specimen collected in 1841 by
T. Jagor in Luzon which as to the leaves apparently belongs to C. microcarpas,
with a male spadix, which hardly differs from that of tfie typo-specimens of C.
siplmospatims, in the more cylindraceous and less inflated primary spatlies. From
what I can judge, the male spadices of G. sipkonospaihus and microcarpus are barely
distinguishable from each other.
Vidal's specimen No. 3952 in my Herbarium is the upper part of a leaf and
of a portion of a female spadix with almost mature fruit; the leaflets have the 3
costae with long bristles above. Loher's specimens are more complete and bear
maturo fruit; the leaflets with the costae sptnulous, or with very short bristles.
PLATE 218.—Calamus microcarpus Beoc. Intermediate portion of a leaf (under
surface) ; basal portion of a spadix with almost mature fruit.—From Vidal's No. 3952
in Herb. Becc.
C. dimorphacanthus] BECCAEL MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 479
187. CALAMDS DIMOEPHACANTHTJS Beoc. in Eec. Bot. Surv. Ind, ii, p. 214.
DESCRIPTION.—Slender, scandent. Sheathed stem 1-2 cm. in diam. Leafsheaths
short, gibbous above, densely covered with thinly laminar, slender, acicular,
solitary or shortly seriate, straight, usually horizontal, unequal (5-20 mm. long),
very light-coloured or substramineous spines. Ocrea very large, 6-7 cm. long,
papyraceous, shining and almost of a silky hue inside, densely armed externally
like the sheaths. Leaven rather delicate, elongate and narrow in outline, about 60 cm.
long in the pinniferous part, petiole very short (4-5 cm. long), flat above, convex
beneath, armed all round with very slender acicular spines ; rachis sub-biconvex in
the first portion, angular and bifaced upwards in the upper surface where armed
as well as at the sides with straight light-coloured horizontal acicular, very
unequal spines, of which some occasionally, especially near the baso in the
leaves of young plants, extremely slender and as much as 3 cm. in length ; further
the rachis is armed beneath along the middle with light, solitary at first then
ternate and in the cirrus 5-nate claws ; leaflets numerous, inserted at an angle
of about 45°, suhequidistant with occasionally a short vacant space interposed
as if a leaflet weve missing, thinly papyraceous, green and subconcolorous on both
surfaces, small, linear or linear-lanceolate, somewhat narrowing towards the base, subulately
acuminate at the summit, with only the mid-costa distinct and bristly
spinulous and the side nei-ves very slender and smooth above ; underneath, all
nerves indistinct and naked ; transverse veinlets remote and verj' short ; margins
rather strongly and spreadingly spinulous ; the largest leaflets, those a little above
the base, 10-20 cm. long, 5-10 mm. broad ; the upper ones slightly decreasing
in length, but not narrower. Male spadix when very young) elongate, cylindricouB,
subulate, sheathed with approximate gradually diminishing spathes, which before
the anthesis are subimbricate, the summit of one partially covering the base of
that above ; moreover they are adpressedly and thinly rusty-furfuraceous. Female
spadi£ very similar to that of C. siphonospathus, elongate, slightly curved about
50 cm. long, with 5-6 partial inflorescences ; primary spathes very sparingly
prickly, glabrous, papyraceous, tubular, loosely sheathing and subinflate in their upper
part, prolonged at the summit into a very short and broadly triangular acute
point, the lowermost c)'Iindricous, armed with numerous scattered very small horizontal
slender short spinules, the secondai-y very slightly spinulous, the others smooth •
partial inflorescences short, broadly ovoid, rather dense, inserted inside their
respective spathe with a distinct pedicellar part; the lower ones, the largest, 6-7
cm. long, with few (4-5) gradually diminishing spikelets on each side- the
lower of these in the lowest partial inflorescences usually branched ; secondary
spathes tubular, slightly infundibuliform, loosely sheathing in their upper part
horizontally truncate and entire at the mouth and shortly apiculate at cne side •
spikelets inserted far above the mouth of their own spathe, the larger ones about
2 cm. hmg with 4-5 flowers on each side ; spat^hels shortly cylindricous at the base
suddenly expanded at the summit into a short truncate limb; involucrophorum
attached outside its own spathel at the baso of the one above, sessile, disciform
involucre also disciform or with a broad, circular, flat area for the insertion of thé
flower and a very narrow annular margin; areola of the neuter flower small
callous. Female flowers very small, 3 mm. long, ovoid; the calyx with 3