484 ANNALS OP THE ROYAL BOTANIC GAKDEN, CALCUTTA. LOBBIOMS
filaments sbortly united by their bases, rather thick, subtrigouus, suddenly contracted
into an inflected filiform apex; anthers lanceolate, acute, versatile with deeply
disjoined cells; rudimentaay ovary elongate, columnar, subcrigonous, formed by 3
subulate agglutinate bodies, one-third shorter than stamens. Female spadix usually with
only one inflorescence; this somewhat smaller than in the male spadix, 6-7 cm.
long, very dense, with the apikelets very short and few-flowered; spathels, involucrophorum
and involucre bracteiforin, very closely packed, strongly shriately veined,
acute. Female floivers comparatively large, about 1 cm. long, elongate-ovoid; the calyx
divided midway down into 3 triangular acuminate striately veined lobes; the segments
of the corolla also striately veiuod, narrower and about as long as or even slightly
shoi-ter than the lobes of the calyx; ovary with a long conic beak and crowned by
large, internally lamoUose, subulate, recurved stigaias. Fraiting perianth not pedicelliform.
Fruit shining, black, ovoid, almost smooth, rather large, about 2 cm, long (when not
quite mature), rounded at the base, gradually naiTowed at the summit into a long
and very stout beak; scales in 15 longitudinal series, slightly convex, not channelled
along the middle, sliining, black in the exposed and yellow in the basal covered
parts, the point rounded and like the margins coai'sely toothed. Seed not seen quite
mature.
HABITAT.—Siugapore, where discovered by Lohi in 1853 (Herb. Kew) and found
again at Selitan and at Baket Timah by Mr. J7. N. Ridley. In the Malayan
Peninsula in the State of Selangore, 15th mile Pahaiig Track (No. 8776, Herb.
Calc.), and on Gunong Pantei at about 300 m. above the level of the sea {King^s
•collector Herb. Hort. Calc. No. 210)-, Pulau Tawar {Ridley).
OBSERVATIONS.—A very distinct species, allied only to 0. conirostris and C. brachystachyi
and with tliese forming a small aberrant group which, on account of the rather
large and short spathes, open on the ventral side, one might be induced, on superficial
examination, to consider as a species of Baemonorops. The white coating on the lower
surface of the leaflets, which distinguishes this Calamus from the other two of the group,
is only present in a few Asiatic palms and especially in C. Jnjpoleucus and 0. discolor,
in Korthalsia cchinometra and to a lesser degree in C. arborescens. Lobb'a specimen
consists of a male spadix and some portion of a leaf and bears the note: "6-8
f e e t " ; the Calcutta specimen No. 210 has a male spadix with 2 partial inflorescences,
t h e upper one much smaller than the other, with a note of Sir George King's
collector, Mr. K u n s t l e r S m a l l palm; stem 18 inches high, 6 to 8 inches in diam.;
frond from 5-6 feet long." Probably this diameter is not that of the naked stem,
but of this covered by the sheaths of the leaves, which in this species probably are
not tubular. Ridley's specimen from Singapore bears immature fruits which are 2
cm. long and resemble very closely those of C. conirostris.
PLATK 221—Calamus Lobbianus Becc. Male spadix (on the left side in the upper
part of the plate ),—specimen from Selangore in Herb. Calc.; petiole (under surface)
and summit of a leaf (upper surface); spadix with almost mature fruit.—From Ridley's
epecimen collected also at Selangore (Herb. Becc.).
C. braehystachys] BECCARL MONOGKAPH OP THE GENUS CALAMUS. 485
190, CALAMUS BBACHYSTACETS Becc. in Rec. Bot. Sarv. Ind. ii, 215.
DESCRIPTION.—IICW Leaves Female spadiz short, with only
one very compact oblong ( when in fruit ) partial infloresceuce, this borne by a short
and robust flattened two-edged peduncular part, which broadens into a comparatively
large spatlie and terminates with a small tail-like appendix; this 10—15 cm. long
and formed by diminutive prickly spathes; the solitary primary spathe lanceolateauriculiform,
open on the ventral side, somewhat flattened, keeled on the back, suddenly
nan-owed at the summit into a short point, thinly coriaceous, very tough, armed with
scattered solitary sliort, straight, horizontal spines ; tiie inflorescence when in fruit
oblong, compact, 15 cm. long, formed by many very closely and irregularly packed
apikelets; secondary spathes very shortly tubular, closely sheathing, truncate, obsoletely
angular ; spikelets very short, scorpioid, with very few approximate and irregularly
biseriate flowers; spathels bracteiform, very short and very closely packed; involucrophoruDi
cupular, immersed in its own spathel ; involucro exactly cupular, entire;
areola of the neuter flower distinct, lunate, not very sharply bordered. Female flowers
comparatively large, almost 1 cm, long. Fmiiing perianth campanulate, the calyx thinly
coriaceous, split down past the middle or almost to the base into 3 broad, ovate, acute
parts ; segments of the corolla as long as the lobes of the calyx and a good deal
narrower than these. Frmt comparatively large, 3'5 cm. long, 1-5 cm. broad, closely
and irregularly packed, black and shining, elongate-ovoid, ventricose in the middle,
somewhat narrowing towards the base and gradually tapering towards the summit into
a very conspicuous conic beak; this crowned by the persistent recurved stigmas; scales
in 15 longitudinal series, slightly convex, not channelled along the middle, totally
black, shining, the tip rounded and at the margin coarsely erosely toothed. Seed
ovoid-elliptic, subacute at both ends, finely tubercled and pitted all round, 17 mm.
long, 10 mm. broad; chalazal fovea iadistinct ; albumen deeply and finely ruminated;
embryo basal.
HABITAT.—Borneo, near Kuching in Sarawak, Beocari P. B. No. 1101.
OBSERVATIONS.—A very characteristic species, closely related to C. comrosins, from
which it differs in the very short not cirriferous spadix. The specimen upon which
this specics is founded is only a spadix with mature fruit which was brougut to
toe by a native, and nothing is known of the plant from which this spadix was
detached. I have however collected on Mt. JIattang a leaf of a Calamus, which so
closely resembles those of C. conirostris that I have little doubt of its belongin"
to C. hrachysiachys. This leaf is about 3 metres long, with diminutive leaflets
in its subcirviferous termination as in C. cojnrostrU ; the sheath is gibbous above,
almost woody, light-coloured, arraod on the surface with straight spines and at the
mouth with numeroiis erect, very straight, very long (as much as 20 cm.) rigid
narrowly subulate spinos ; a rudimentary flagellum attached near the mouth of the
sheath is filiform about as long as the spines, slightly spinulous at the summit; petiole
40 cm. long, slightly channelled above, rounded beneath, where armed along the
middle with rather robust, short, straight prickles, the margins armed with short straight
and often divergent spines; the rachis in its upper part ia acutely bifacod above, and
powerfully clawed beneath; leaflets numerous, equidistant, about 4 cm. apart on each