J ^ G AJTSALS OF T H E BOYAL BOTANIC A A E D E N , CALCUTTA. [G, CFLSÌOWEUS
i n fall-grown loaves), rery densely Mined with flat, Tery acuminate, often sinuous,
d a r k - g r e y spines whicli «re as much as 6-7 cm. long and are intermingled iritll
smaller ones of the same sliape. L c a m not citriferou«, large, 1-5-2 m. long; petiole
v e r y stout and long (00-70 e,n.), 2 cm. thick, f a i n t l y c h a u n e l l . d at the base and
flat upwards above, where more or less armed with straight erect spines, rounded
u n d e r n e a t h where armed along the middle with straight horizontal spines and on the
t a a r g i u s with the same kind of straight, long and closely set spines pointing in
d i f f e r e n t directions and intermixed with much shorter ones ; racl.is m the
i n t e r m e d i a t e and upper portion trigonous, acutely bifaced and smooth above
roundish near the base below, where armed with distant solitary, short, horizontal
o r slightly deflexed spines, flat and unarmed near the apex; leaflets green on
b o t h surfaces, s l i g h t l y paler beneath, numerous, equidistant, a l t e r n a t e or subopposite
( a t least in the portions seen), narrowly lanceolate or broadly ensifonn, some-what
n a r r o w e d at the base, gradually acuminate to a spinulous apex; n.id-costa acute
above bearin. on both surfaces, mainly towards the apex, few short bristly
spinulcs- secondary nerves 2-3 on each side of the mid-costa, rather distinct
a n d naked on both surfaces, margins finely and acutely spinulous, transverse vemlets
i n d i s t i n c t ; the largest leaflets 60 cm. long and 4-Ó-5 cm. b r o a d ; the termmal pair
smaller than the others. Mah ,padi:o 'Pfi" :
•Dartial inflorescences about 40 em. long, bearing 7 - 8 spikelets on each side;
s e c o n d a r y spathes thinly coriaceous, cloDgate-infnndibuliform, loosely sheathing
u n a r m e d , prolonged into a lanceolate-auriculiform limb, ultimately withered and
d e c a y e d at the apex, bat not fibrous; spik.lcts large and thick, 12-17 cm. long,
s p r e a d i n g , furnished with a peduncular part 1-3-2 cm. long by which they are
attacbBd inside and at t h e bottom of their own spathe ; spathels covered w i t h a very
t h i n adherent brown indumentum, broadly and symmetrically i n f u n d i b u h f o r m , and
h a v i n , . a r a t h e r loose entire or later i r r e g u l a r l y split limb, which is prolonged at
one side into a triangular ultimately decayed point; involucrophorum spathaceous,
i r r c i n i l a r l y split, a t t e n u a t e at t h e base, attached inside and at the bottom of its own
spathel, flattish and two-keeled on the side next to the a x i s ; involucre not or
s L h t l v exceeding the involucrophorum, subcup.lar, more or less irregularly split;
are°ola of the neuter flower vertically ovate and acute. FmaU ]low„> » mm. ong.
M i . , p ™ « a not pedioolliform; its calyx not thickened or callous at the base,
. „ t i r e l v split into three lanceolate acuminate lobes; the segments of the corolla
I c a r c e l y longer than the c a l y x ; filaments with stamens h i g h l y connate at the basa
a n d in the free portion elongately triangular. Fruit ellipsoid, ovate or obovate
r o u n d e d at the base and suddenly narrowed at the top into a r a t h e r lung beak, 13
mm broad and 22-24 mm. long (including the beak), of u n i f o rm ehestnnt-brown
or chocolate colour; scales small, in 24-37 longitudinal series, about 3 mm.
b r o a d and scarcely less in length, narrowly channelled along the middle, dull
a n d under a strong lens finely scabridujous, with s l i g h t l y paler, finely erose margms
a n d obtuse tip. M not seen perfectly mature. The plant acquires in d r y m g a
r e d d i s h - b r o w a colour.
HABITAT,—The ' M a k y a n Peninsula-; in- thick jungles about Malacca {Griffith,
No' 1533 in H K ), and in the d i s t r i c t , of Perak on the hills of Larut
b e t w e e n 150-200 m e t r e s ' a b o v e the level o£ t h e sea (Herb. Cale. No. 5880).
C. Grìffithìanua] BECCABI. MONOGKAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 147
OBSEKVATIOKS.—My description of t h i s species is f o u n d e d on the f r u i t i n g specimen
No. 5880 of the Calcutta Herbarium, not t a k i n g i n t o account all the others, not being
sure that some mixture had not occurrod among the different pai-ts of this species
w i t h those 0Ì 0. GriffitManus. The fruit of C. castaneus figured by Griffith, wiiich I
h a v e seen on a portion of the a u t h e n t i c specimen preserved at Kew, is mon
t h a n that I have described, but the shape of the f r u i t in this species, as
Griffiihianus, seems very v a r i a b l e in the different stages of its development.
t h is
G r i f f i t h has described and figured the male spadix of C. castaneus ; but
a u t h o r had not distinguished this species f r om the closely allied 0. Griffiihiarvus, it is
not exactly known to -which of the two species such description and figures belong;
but probably the male spadix differs very little in the two species. The leaflets of
t h e said specimen No. 0S8O belong to a full-grown leaf and do not show any
t r a c e of the peculiar thin purpurascent coating on the lower surface, which may be
seen in the y o u n g leaves of G. Grifflthianus. The leaflets of C. castaneus are broader
t h a n those of C. Grifit/dams, bristly only on the mid-costa, and probably e q u i d i s t a n t;
but the fragments of leaves seen are too short to be sure of this characteristic. Sir
G e o r g e K i n g ' s collector in the label to the specimens of 0. Griffithianus and C. castanaug
h a d also pointed out the main differences between the two species. Indeed C.
GnffitUamis has a stem creeping at first and then ascendent and has terete petioles;
on the c o n t r a r y G. castaneus has a short erect stem and petioles channelled at the
base and flat upwards above and rounded beneath.
PLATE 16.—Calamus castaneus Grif. Upper portion of a leaf-ahcath with tlie
b a s e of the petiole ; portion of a leaf f r o m about its intermediate part ; portion of
t h e female spadix with uiiripe f r u i t : all these figures from a specimen bearing the
No. 5SS0 in Herb. Cale. The portions of male spadix (on the right hand side) and
of the female one (on the left), the ripe f r u i t , the seed entire and the one in section
i n the upper part of the plate are from Scortechini's specimens which I d o u b t f u l ly
r e f e r to C. castaneus, these parts not being accompanied by the leaves and it being
y e r y difficult to distinguish G. castaneus from G. Griffithiams by the reproductive
o r g a n s only.
11. CALAMUS GKIFFITHUNUS Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, t, 332, Zxviii, f. sxvii,
a n d Zxxi, f. x i v ; Walp. Ann., iii, 482 and v, 829; Miq. FI, Ind.
B a t . iii, 112; Hook. 1 Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 4 4 0 ; Becc. in Ree. Bot.
Surv. Ind. ii, 198.
C. castancus (partly) G r i f f , in Cale. Journ. Nat. Hist, iv, 29, and Palms
B r i t . I n d . 38; Ridley in T r a n s . Linn. iSoc. Bot., iii, pt. ix, 392.
DESCRIPTION.—ISTE» creeping, rooting at the joints and t h e n ascending erect, about
3 cm. in diam. Leaf-sheaths not flagelliferous, armed with straight, long, unequal,
l a m i n a r , subulate spines, which are scattered or more or less a g g r e g a t e and remotely
o b l i q u e l y seriate. Leaves large, 2 - 3 m. long, not c i r r i f e r o u s ; petiole f r om 60 cm. to
1 m. in length, subterete (at least in its upper portion), 12-13 mm. in diam., armed
•with laminar, elastic, horizontal spines of various sizes, 2 - 5 cm. long and sometime»
c o n s i d e r a b l y longer, very i r r e g u l a r l y scattered or, as on the leaf-sheaths, a g g r e g a l e and
more or less seriate; rachis f r om t h e middle upwards trigonous, bifaced above and
AHN. ROT. BOT. GAKD. CALCUTTA VOL X I .