1 3 6 AIMALS OP THE EOTAL B 0 T A 2 Í I C G-AHDEN, CAXCÜTTA. [Í?, /ONGI'SETUS
fruit and not pedicelliform, its calyx 3-tootlied; its corolla with the petals lanccolatc,
as long as the calyx ; its stamens with filaments broadly triangular, suddenly
subulate and not very highly connate at the base. Fruit elliptic-ovate, when fully
developed 30-33 mm. long and 15-20 ram. in diam., tapering at both ends, but more
towards the apex, which is regularly conical and acuminate; scales in 12 longitudinal
series, slightly convex, not channelled along the middle, longer than broad, yellowish
in the unexposed part, marked across the centre with a couspicuous, lunate, blackisli,
shining band (giving the fruit the appoarance of being mottled like a tiger-skin),
and prolonged into a triangular, pale, scarious apex, which is conspicuously fringed
at the margin. Seed oblong, 18 mui. long, 11 mm, broad and a little less in thickness,
flat at the base, longitudinally 5-7-costate and superficially channelled on the back»
smooth on the raphal side, where marked with a narrow circular chalazal fovea
penetrating nearly to the centre; albumen equable; embryo in the middle of the
base.
HABITAT. Pegu (Gri^th), Rangoon (McCieUand in Herb. Kew, Burkill); Hill
jungle at Port Mouat ravine, Kada Kachan, and AH Masjid in South Andaman
[Sir G. King's collector in Herb. Calc.). Vern. name "Leme" (Burkill).
Kurz writes that this is common in the evergreen tropical forests from the
eastern slopes of the Pegu Yomah and Hartaban down to Tenasserim and the
Andamans, and that it i? called " L¿mé" in Burma and " Umdah " by the
Andamanese. From the Audamaus I have received some very good specimeus
thi-ouu-h Mr. E. H. Man, who says that the natives eat the fruit cooked, and
employ the leaflets for coverings, and that they give it the name of " Am."
The samples of the canes, which also seem to be employed by the Andamanese,
have a polished yellow surface and are from 2'5-3 cm. in diam. with joints 25-30
cm. long. One sterile specimen from the Nicobars, which I have seen in the
Calcutta Herbarium probably belongs to this species.
OBSERVATIONS.—Griffith, who has drawn up the description of this Calamus from a
male plant native of the forests of Pegu and introduced into the Botanic Garden at
Calcutta says that it is a " tufted stemless species, with the habit of young specimens
of C a-borescens," but he adds that it has "the flagellus humifuse or trailing over
the neighbouring shrubs and armed with the usual prickles." From this it might be
arcued that this palm begins to flower when still in a young and stemless state and
a climber as it grows older.
Kurz has described his 0. tigrinus ( which without hesitation I consider the sameas
C. hngisehcs ) on fruiting spadices only, and says that it is u large scandent
rattan It is a very distinct species by its peculiarly spotted fi-uits, very large male
spikelets and flowers very much like those of 0. erecius. The male spadix simply
decompound is not of very common occuiTence amongst the Calami.
PL4TE 9.-Calamu9 longioetus Grif. Male partial inflorescence from a specimen
in the Calc Herb, collected ¿t Port Mouat ravine in the South Andamans; partial
inflorescence with young fruit and lower portion of a leaf from the Andamanese
specimens forwarded to me by Mr. Man; the portion of a spikelet with ripe fruit.
C. Thuiaitesii']
B E C C A E I . MONOG-E-AFH OP THE GENUS CALAMUS. 1 3 7
the entire seed laterally seen and in vertical section, from Km-z's authentic specimen
of his G. tigrinus.
6. CALAMUS TSWAITESII Beec. in Hock. f. Fl. Brit. Ind, vi, 441, and in Roc.
C.
Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 199.
C. longisetus Thw. Enum. Plant. Zeyl.; 330 (not of Griffith).
DESCKIPTION.—Large and probably high scandent. Leaf-shaaths not seen, very
probably sometimes flagelliferous. Leaves large, not cirriforous ; petiole armed with
straight, black, laminar, Feriate spines which are very much the same as
longisetus; rachis in its first portion channelled above and with spinulous
from the middle upwards trigonous, bifaced above, flat beneath, where armed
throughout with solitary rather distant claws, at least in leaves of the upper part of
the plant ; leaflets large, irregularly fascicled in groups of 2-3 on each side, the
groups nearly opposite, with rather long vacant spaces between each pair of groups,
upwards, mainly near the summit, more regularly set and nearly equidistant, rather
fii-mly papyraceous, longitudinally plicate, shining above, green on both surfaces, very
narrowly lanceolate or ensiform, gradually narrowed to the base, the margins ciliate
throughout, almost from the base, with approximate, short, black, spreading, subspiny
bristles; the mid-rib acute and prominent above, weaker below, furnished on both
surfaces, but chiefly on the lower one, with black, short, subspiny bristles; secondary
nerves (coinciding with the plicaj) slender, 1-2 on each side of the midrib,
naked on both surfaces; transverse veinlets minute and crowdcd; the largest leaflets
seen by me (probably the mesial) 60-70 cm. long and 4-4*5 cm. broad, the upper
gradually shorter and narrower, the two of the apical pair the smallest and
confluent at the base. Male and female spadices very similar and simply decompound,
elongate, flagelliform, with the partial inflorescences very remote ( 60-80 cm. apart)
and the axial portion interposed amongst them flat or rather concave on the inner
side and convex on the back, where it is strongly armed with rather approximate
half-whorls of stout black-tipped claws which gradually become smaller and more
scattered on the spathes; primary spathes very long, tubular, closely sheathing,
thinly coriaccous, armed with short-hooked black-tipped prickles, withered and
lacerated near the mouth; partial inflorescences up to 60 cm. long, bearing 4-6
re) epikelets on each side ami terminating in a rather
; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, about 4 cm.
(and perhaps sometimes
long and slender appendis
long, somewhat enlarged above, obliquely truncate at the mouth and acuminate at
one side where ultimately decayed and lacerated, usually sprinkled upwards with
very shoi-t tubercular spines, but occasionally smooth; male spikelets inserted inside
near the mouth of their respective spathes at an angle of about 46°, large, flattened,
10-15 cm. long, with 20-30 distichous flowers on each side; spathels broadly and
asymmetrically infundibuliform, truncate, split under the flower and not prolonged
into a point; involucre almost entirely included in its own spathel and attached at
the base of -the one above, cupular, obliquely truncate, two-keeled and lunately
emarginate on the side next to the axis. Male flowers large (not seen fully
developed), ovate when in bud, with the calyx three-toothed, very finely striately
veined as are the spathels. Female spikelets 10-30 cm. long; spathels infundibuliform,
itruncate, prolonged at one side into a triangular, ultimately marcescent point ;
ABN. EOT. BOT. CARD. CALCUIIA VOL. X I .