1 4 0 AITNALS OF T E E ROY.IL BOTAIFLC GAEDE^^ CALCTM^A, [C. RUDENTUM
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent. Sletn very long a n d robust. Leaf-sheaths not seen, but very
probably flagelliforous. Leaves very large, uon-cirriferoas; petiole ; rachis
trigonous in the mesial and upper portion, with acute and smooth angles and two flat
eide.faees above, flat and armed beneath -with solitaiy, ratlier strong, straight, slightly
deflexed spines, which rest on a swollen base; leaflets numerous, equidistant, alternate,,
v e r y long, linear-ensiform, thfl largest 65 cm. in length by 15-18 mm. in breadth,
stiffly papyraceous, plicate along the secondary nerves, sbiniug and greon on both
surfaces, narrowed to the base, gradually acuminate towards the apex -which is
acute in the lower leaflets and obtuse acutely keeled above and bristly peuicillate at
t h e apex in the upper ones ; the mid-rib acute and spinulous towards the apex
above, and from the middle upwards furnished below with some very long (1-2'
cm.) spadiceous bristles; secondary nerves few, slender, naked on both surfaces;
margins acute, bearing short adpressed spinules 10-12 mm. apart, closer, longer and
more spreading upwarils ; transverse veinlets very crowded, rather sharp and
f r e q u e n t l y anastomosing; the two apical leaflets smaller than the others and
shortly connate at the base. MaU spadix ultradecompound, flagelliform, excessivel
y long; the one measured, though without its basal portion, 3*5 m. in length and
f u r t h e r lengthened out into an apical flagellum" measuring another metre; the
vacant spaces between two inflorescences very long, and armed (as is the flagellum)
with half-whorls of stout black-tipped claws resting on broad and confluent
b a s e s ; partial inflorescences rather many (6 in the spadix mentioned above),
t h e uppermost rudimentary, the lowest, the largest, 60 cm. long, twice branched
near the base and with single spikelets in the upper portion; primary apathes
cylindrical, very long tubular, closely sheathing, often ultimately split longitudin
a l l y , strongly clawed especially in their lower portion, terminating in a lanceolate
sparsely aculeate limb which is not lacerated, but often at length decayed and
p a r t i a l ly deciduous at the summit; secondary spathes finely furfuraceous, unarmed or
sparingly spiny-tuberculose, 15-20 mm. long, tubular, slightly enlarged above,
truncate, entire and not ciliate at the mouth where lengthened on one side into a
short triangular acute p o i n t ; male spikelets reddish-brown when dry, attached immediately
above the mouth of their own spathe, spreading or recurved, flattened, 7-11
cm. long with i;0-30 bifarious contiguous flowers on each side, inserted at an angle
of about 45®; spathels finely furfuraceous, short, broadly and asymmetrically infandibuHfoim,
truncate and entire at the mouth, shortly apiculate at one side ; involucre
s l i g h t ly longer than its own spathel and attached to the base of the one above,
like a swallow's nest or dimidiately cupular, obliquely truncate, emarginate, two-keeled
and two-toothed on the side next to the axis. Male flowers 6 mm. long, elongateovoid,
obtusely trigonous, somewhat attenuated at the apex; calyx campanulate, stiiately.
nerved, with three broad apiculate lobes; corolla twice as long at the calyx, divided
down to the base into three lanceolate rather obtuse segments; stamens with filament
nearly free at the base, subulate and slightly inflected at the apex ; anthers linear
w i t h theix cells discrete from above the middle; rudimentary ovary very small,
formed by three nartow scales not quite 1 mm. long. Female spadix simply decompound,
•with very elongate partial inflorescences, of which the largest, the lowest, is 1 m. in
length, with 10-12 spikelets on each side; the upper 40-50 cm. "long, with fewer
spikelets; secondary spathes a little longer than in the male spadix, 2'5-3-5 cm. long,.
C. rudentum] BECCAEI. MONOGEAPH OF THE GENUS CAIAMUS. 141
o f t e n split upwards; spikelets not pedicollato, inserted at the mouth of their own spathe,.
arched "downwards, ibe largest, the lowest, 20-25 cm. long with 20-25 flowers on
each side, those of the upper and more slender branches not more than 7 - 8 cm, in
length with proportionally fewer flowers ; spathels asymmetrically infundibuliform,
truncate, entire, apiculate at one side ; involucrophorum half-projecting from its own
spathel and obliquely attached at the base of the one above, dimidiately cupular,
two-keeled, emarginate and two-toothed on the side next to the a x i s ; involucre not
or slightly exceeding the involucrophorum, cupular, rather shallow, entire, supej-fieially
emarginate on the side of the neuter flower of which the areola is depressedly
lunate. Female flowers inserted at an angle of 45'=, ovate, 6 mm. long; the calyx
divided more than halfway down into three, ovate, rather thick, somewhat obtuse
l o b e s ; corolla divided almost to the base into three, ovate-lanceolate, acute, striate
segments a little longer than the calyx; stamens forming by the united bases of
their filaments a cup which reaches to the middle oE the corolla and is crowned
b y six, triana-ular, elongate and subulate t e e t h ; fertilized ovaries subovoid, suddenly
narrowed into a conic beak; scales in 12 series, shining, not channelled along
t h e middle, straw-coloured, with a darker intramargiual line and ciliolate fimb
r i a t e margin, especially near the tip. Fruit not seen ripe; in the very young
f r u i t the perianth is already split and not pedicelliform.
HABITAT.—Cochin-China [Loiirciro). Rediscovered by Pierre at Dian-lau-me in
the province of Bien-hoa in Lower Cochin-China (Herb. Pierre No. 4846); alsonear
Tan Kiyen on the River Dong-nai (No. 4845) and near Mount Pong-lu in
t h e province of Binh-Thuan.
According to Pierre the Annamite and Moi name for this Calamus is "Kewang."
No. 4.845 bears that of " May-chia-wang," which has some resemblance with
t h a t of " May saong" assigned by Loui-eiro.
The Rotang produced by this Calamus is of a good quality and much used by
t h e natives for cables. Loureiro writes also of the uses of this species : Pronavium
rudeiitibus; ad magna onera trahenda, ad elephanthos indomitos coercendos
et alligandos."
OBSERVATIONS.—This species appears to be closely allied to C, ionqisetus, from
•which however it is certainly distinct by the much smaller male flowers, thinnerfemale
spikelets and much narrower leaflets. It appears to me that we can
recognize in the specimens of PieiTe, Nos. 4845, 4846, the 0. rudentum of Loureiro,
not so much from the characters given by this author, which are quite insu£Gcionfc
for the recognition of any species of Calamus, as from the general notes, Loureiro
assigns to G. rudentum the extraordinary length of 500 feet, but this is certainly
an exaggeration.
This species seems rather variable, and amongst the specimens of Pierre those
b e a r i n g the No. 4845 differ somewhat from the others, and have the leaflets more
crowded towards the apex, shorter, broader (34-50 by 2-5 em.) and less acuminate
t h a n in No. 4846; the rachis bears the impressions of the spines, which at least
in the apical portion are temate, the mesial 3 cm. long, the longest, straight,
flat, narrow, yellowish with black tin. Some spikelets, mainly those near the apex.