Tcry conspicuous, produced laterally at the base of the petiole into two papyraceous
or dry membranous, ultimately lacerated auricles, which arc 4-5 cm. long and
entirely covered with some spines similar to those o£ the slieatlis, mixed with
others which are more slender or briatle-like. Leaves rather large, the one seen
entire 1 metre in length, not cirrifcrous; petiole very short (5-6 cm.), rather
robust, flattish above and armed at the margins with some straight, needle-like,
ascending spines, 1-2 cm. long, rounded beneath where more or less armed, at
cast along the middle, with some straight spines passing into claws; rachis flat
above in the first portion and channelled laterally where the leaflets are attached,
acutely bifaced above and trigonous in cross-section upwards, rounded near the base
and flat upwards beueath, where armed throughout along the middle and occasionally
at the sides with dark-tipped solitary claws ; leaflets rather numerous, subequidistant
2-3 cm. apart (aggregated in young plaats, according to Jiann and Wendland),
rigidulous, papyraceous, Hnear-lanceolate, or lanceolate-ensiform, attenuated towards the
base, where deeply plicate, gradually acuminate into a subulate and caudate spinulous
tip, glabrous and sub-shining above, rather distinctly paler beneath, where dotted or
more or less sprinkled with brown scales, and under the lens finely striate ; mid-costa
acute and prominent above, accompanied on each side by 2-3 secondary nerves,
of which one is a little stronger than tho others, but not so much so as to
render the surface distinctly 3-costate; all the nerves in the upper surface smooth,
or sometimes the mid-costa spinulous (as exceptionally and very sparingly are the
side-nerves); on the under surface the mid-costa and 2-3 slender nerves on
each side of it occasionally are furnished with few, small, short, spreading, spinulous
bristles, which rest on a sub-bulbous base ; oftener, however, the bristles are
closer and stronger along 3 of the 5 nerves, but chiefly on the mid-costa, while
on the side ones they are small, very scarce or wanting ; margins slightly
thickened by a weak secondary nerve "and rather densely aculeolate-serrate; transverse
veinlets slender, very interrupted; the largest leaflets, those a little above
the base, 35-38 cm. long and 1-5-3 cm. broad; the upper rather abruptly
shorter, but not narrower, and with a less acuminate tip, which is indented or
notched on the lower margin, but in a lesser degree than in the basal ones; the
two of the apical pair 15-16 cm. long and ahnoat entirely free at the base.
Male and Female spadiees simply decompound, elongate, flagelliform, 70-80 cm. long
with very few partial inflorescences (1-3) and besides lengthened out
nto a clawed
fiagellum of equal length; primary spathes very narrow, tubulai-, elc
igate, closely
sheathing; the lowest usually split longitudinally (as the upper one
es), somewhat
flattened, with not very acute and smooth or slightly spinous edges
s ; the upper
cylindraceous, unarmed or nearly so, obliquely truucate at the
mouth and
produced at one side into a short triangular point; male partial
iflorescences
ihcr elongate
spikelots
15-20 cm. long, attached inside their respective spathes with a r
peduncular portion and furnished with 7-9 distichous approximate
each side; secondary spathes tubulai-infundibuliform, unarmed, obliquely truncate and
ciliate at the mouth, produced at one side into a short point; spikelets inserted just
below the month of their own spathe and not callous at theii- axilla, 4-5 cm. long,
bearing 8-12 distichous flowers on each side, the upper spikelets shorter and with
fewer flowers; spathels very crowded, brown, strongly striately-veined, obliquely and
very broadly infundibuliform, extended at one side into an acute triangular point ;
involucre subdimidiately cupular, very obliquely cut ofi posticously, Innately emarginate,
and acutely 2'keeled, attenuated at tho base and attached to the bottom of its own
spathel. 3Iale flowers 5 mm. long, ovoid-oblong; calyx ovoid, submembranaceous, strongly
striately veined, rather deeply divided into 3 acute lobes; corolla one-half longer
than the calyx, divided down almost to the base into 3 oblong, acute, striate segments ;
stamens all of the same length, the filaments subulate, inflexed at the apex and
shortly united at their base ; authors lanceolate, acute, with deeply separated cells •
rudimentary ovary rather conspicuous, formed by 3 subulate bodies which are united
by their bases and are nearly as long as the filaments. Female spadiz very
similar to the male; spikelets with spathels a little larger than in the male spadix;
involucn >phorum obliquely cupular, truncate, posticously 2-keeled, inserted at the
bottom of its own spathel and entirely included in this ; involucre irregularly
cupular with the margin often split or lobate ; areola of the neuter flower large and
deep, sometimes subcupuliform, occasionally with a fully developed flower and
therefore with two nearly equally developed flowers in one spathe. Female flowers ovoid,
about the same size as the males ; calyx ovate, thinly coriaceous, striately
veined, acutely 3-toothed at first, ultimately split down to the base; corolla a
little longer than the calyx, divided almost to the base into 3 ovate-lanceolate acute
segments; filaments of the stamens united at the base into a not very high ring
and in the free part elongately triangular with sterile sagittate anthers ; ovary
oblong, tapering towards the base, crowned by 3 thick, trigonous, acute stigmas
which are strongly lamellose inside. Fruiting perianth split and explanate under the
fruit. Frxiit ovoid, 15-17 mm. long, 10 mm. in diam., rounded at the base, conically
narrowing at the apex, crowned by the bases of the stigmas; scales in 21
series, rather shining, somewhat convex, very faintly channelled ah
yellowish-brown, with a broad, brown-chestnut, intramarginal line;
tip broadly scarious, beautifully and finely fimbriate. Seed oblong;
indod at the base, apiculate at the apex, 1 cm,
; the middle,
margins and
slightly comr
shallow, elongate, chalazal fo-
mm. thick,
in the
albumen
rugose or wrinkled on the back, with
centre of the raphal face, from which irradiate a few superficial ri
equable; embryo in the centre of the base.
HABITAT.—West Tropical Africa : on the rivers Bagroo and Cameroons {G. Mann
Nos. 891 and 3147 in Herb. Kew).
OBSERVATIONS.—From the accurate study of this species I am able to state that
uo remarkable character separates the African from the Asiatic Calami; C. deerratus
is indeed strikingly related to some of tire Asiatic species of the fifth group.
The involucre of the male flowers and tho involucrophorum of the female
Ones are attached to the bottom of their own spathel by means of a very small
basilar point, and are consequently almost stalked and not laterally adnatc to the base
of the spathel above its own, but are completely free from it. This, however, is
not a character peculiar to the African Calami, but it is one which they have in
common with some Asiatic species (C. Zollingerii, castaneus, Griffitkianus, etc.);
in those, however, when the involucre of the flowers have such a structure, the
spikelets are stalked by a peduncular portion arising from the bottom of their
respective spathes. In C. deerratus, on the contrary, the spikelets, though issuing
ANM. BOY. BOT. GABD. CAJ.currA VOL. X I.