AHSALS OF THE BOY.a BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. dilUCeraiUS
aboTO sea-loTd. In Msmpur and on the Nnga Hill, (0. WoH No. 7459). Sikkini
imoier f . & Thomson; Tratlir in Herb. ICew and Herb. 8t. Peletsb.; GamtU). Buxa
ResctTC in the West Duars ( t o i S i i ) . T. IndeMon (1. c.) says that "this species occnrs
in most of the deep valleys oi the outer ranges ot the Siikim Himalaya, and
extend, into the interior along the conrse ot the larger tiyers and their tribatar.es
The canes are soft and useless. The Lepcha name of this Calamus
is ''Lat.' In' Nepal according to Gamble it is called ' Dangri Bet' and at Kurseong
' E a n i ' or ' Eabi Bet' {B.rkill).
OBSrHYiTIoss.—A Teiy well-marked delicate species, distinguished by its very long,
simply decompound, extremely narroiv spadices very much the same in both sexes,
and with lon.^, strict, partial iuflorescenoes bearing numerous short spikelets which are
decidedly soo'i-pioid in the male spadix. Anderson (1. c.) says of this Valamu, that
" i t is Bomeivbat gregarious in its habit. The long slender stems, when lying on the
ground, send out short leafy shoots from their joints and form a thicket of prickly
leaves ' The flowering extremities of these prostrate stems ascend the trees by the
assistance ot the strongly barbed straight tendrils springing from the sheaths of the
Plate li.—Calamus leptospadix Grif. Intermediate portion of a loaf {seen from
„3ve) and partial inflorescence (both on the right-hand side), from a specimen collected
bv Sir D Btandis on the Teesta (Herb. Becc.); apex of a leaf (on the left side) seen
from the lower surface; leaf-sheath and a nearly entire spadii from the Khasia
Hills (Herb. Beoc.) ; apex of a leaf-sheath with large ocrea and base ot the petiole
from a young plant (on the right band lower cornet). Fruits and seeds (from the
Calcutta Botanic Garden).
9. Calamus niLACEHAXDS Becc. in Hoc. Bot, Surv. Ind. ii, 19S.
DESCRIPTION.—Tutted, probably not scandent. Leaves : the only one seen
to belong to the spadix hereafter described, and probably a radical one, - -
long and has the apical portion in a decayed condition, but apparently not
cirrlferous. Its sheath is not completely tubular, but opened on the ventral side and
is densely armed throughout with very thin, black, criniforni, friable, straight spicules
of unequal length (the largest 4-0 cm. long), confluent at their bases and aiTanged
in rather crowded oblique series; the petiole is very long (about 1 m.), subterete,
faintly channelled on the upper surface of the lower portion, sparingly tubercledspinulous;
the lachis is rounded below and sprinkled there with some small
subspinous tubercles, with an acute angle and two fiat side-faces above; leaflets very
manv equidistant, rather crowded (about 2 cm. apart), lincar-ensiform, very
acuminate, thinly papyraceous, the largest, the mesial, .3o-10 cm. long by 1-5 cm.,
green subcoucolorons on both surfaces, with three rather acute co.tie above, ct
which the central is bristly-spinulou. near the apex and the lateral furnished with
few short black setai; beneath, all nerves are very faint, the central rather
densely, and one on each side of this sparingly setiferous. MaU spadu . . .
,padh decompound, rather large, panicled, not flagelliterous, with many partial
inflorescences; primary spathes not very long, tubnlar-infundibnliform, dry, somewhat
C. castamus] beccabi. mokoghaph op the genus CALAirus. 145
enlarged in the upper half or third, where in the fruiting stago discoloured,
decayed and laccratedj armed with small, straight, somewhat deflexed spicules
which rest on a bulbiform base; partial inflorescences erect-spreading, 25-35
cm. long, bearing distichously on cacli side 8-10 spikelets which are i-7 cm.
long and furnished with a slender flattened pedicellar portion (1-1-5 cm. long)
attached to the bottom of their respectiTe spathe ; secondary spathes thinly coriaceous
or sub membrane us, tubular-infundibuliform, l ' 5 - 2 cm. long, moro or less split
down to tlie base, naked or sparingly spiculosc, extended at one side into a rather
long point; spathels shortly infundibuliform, almost auriculiform, acute at one side,
ultimately moro or less split; involucrophorum inserted at the bottom of its respective
spathols, not laterally attached at the base of the one above, spathaceous-auriculiform,
acute, dorsally two-keeled; involucre also spathaeeous-auriculiform, acute at
one side ; areola of the neuter flower elongate, lanceolate, sharply bordered.
Female flowers about 6 mm. long. Fruilinj perianth not pedicelliform; its calyx
an(3 corolla almost similar, divided down to the base into three lanceolate finely
striate lobes of equal length and breadth; stamiuodes persistent, reaching to about
the middle of the corolla with the filaments acuminate fz'om a very broad base
and furnished with a small sagittate anther. Fruit small, broadly ovate, 12 mm.
long by 9 mm., very suddenly contracted into a short but thick beak or mucro ;
scales small, in SI longitudinal series, pale-yellowish, shining, channelled along the
middle, with brown and finely fimbriate tip. Seed subglobose, slightly compressed,
flattish or slightly depressed on the raphal side and convex on the back, equally
rounded at both ends, with equal and not pitted surface, 8 mm. long by 6-6-5
mm. thick; albumen homogeneous; embryo basilar. All parts of the spadix, the
secondary spathes, spathels and other appendices and parts of the flowers in the
fruiting stage acquire a chestnut-brown colour when dry, and show traces of a
tobacco-coloured sciu-f and are more or less split or lacerated.
Habitat.—The Nicobar Islands, where it was found by Mr. E. H. Man, who
sent me the specimens described above in August 1888.
Observatioss.—The leaf I have described was detached from the specimen of
the spadix, without any reference to this ; but the spines with whicli the petiole is
armed are very much like those tiiat cover the spathes and show almost certainly
that this leaf belongs to that spadix, and besides that this Calamus is erect or
bushy and not scandent.
Plate 15.—Calamus dilaceratus Becc. The upper pai-t of a spadix with almost
ripe fruit, from Mr. Man's specimens in Herb. Becc.
10. Calamus castakeus Griff, in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist, v, 28, var. B, and
Palms Brit. India, 37, t. clxxxv. 0 . (and A. B. ?); Mart. Hist. Nat.
Palm, iii, 331, t. Z xviii, f. xxii and Z xxi, f. ii and Z xsii, f. xv;
Walp. Ann. iii, 482, and v, 829; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii, 112;
H. Wendl. in Kerch. Palm. 235 (excl. syn.); Hook. f. Fl. Brit.
Ind. vi, 410; Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 198.
Description.—Erect, 1-1-5 m. high. Sheathed stem 7-10 cm. in diam. Leafiheaths
not flagelliferous, truncate at the mouth, not ocreate or ligulate (at least
Asm. Rot. Bot. Gaud. CALcmrA Vol. SI.