r
1 5 8 AIíNALS or THE EOYAL BOTAiîIC GABDEN, CALCUTTA. \_G. Leprieurii
own spathe, not callous at the axilla, somewhat arched and flexuose, spreading or
recurved, flattish, 8-10 cm. long (the uppermost slightly shorter than the lower ones)
with 19-'20 flowers on each side; spathels infiindibuliform, narrowed a good deal at
the base, rather approximate and with the base of the one partly included in the
one below, not very distinctly striately veiued, entire at the mouth and extended at
one side into a very acute and patent point; involucre cupular, rather deep, almost
totally concealed m its own spalhel, very obliquely truncate exterually, very acutely
inged, bi-dentate and deeply emargiiiate on the side next
Tfeetly bifarious, inserted at a rather acute angle and half
spathels, elongate, very slightly falcate, very aoute; the
ilightly striately veined, with three short acute triangular
iger than tho calyx with acute segments, polished
wampy place
. 4460 in H(
lall streams on the laterita
partial infloresle
specimen
from which
two-keeled and almost twoto
the axis. Male Jloioers j
concealed by their respectiv
calyx tubular cylindraceous,
teeth; the corolla oue-third
externally.—Other parts unknown
IIABRRAT.—Sierra Leoi
plateau of Falaba {Sooit Elliot No. Herb. Berol)
OBSERVATIONS.— Of this species I have seen only a specimen of oi
cence and the upper portion (35 cm. in length) of a leaf. This sa
was regarded by I'rof. 0 . Drudc (1. c.) as belonging to C. Barkrit,
however it differs in the different arrangement of the leaflets, which in 0. Barterii are,
as in the Asiatic C. gracilis, distinctly clustered into a few patent spreading groups,
and besides are thin and almost herbaceous in texture. In C. falabcnsis the leaflets
are simply inequidistant, rigid and firm in texture, and inserted at a rather acute
angle. C. Jhudehtii seems to me a nearer ally to C. falabensis than 0. Barterii, but
of C. Eeudelotii the female plant only is known, while we have only the male of
falahensis, and consequently it is difficult to make an exact comparison of the two ;
but in 0. Bcude.htii the leaflets have the nerves naked beneatl) and only the midcosta
is spinulous, while in 0. falabensis 3 nerves are spinulous beneath. It differs
from 0. Leprieurii, of which the male spadix much resembles that of C. falahensis,
in the falcate male flowers and in the more rigid and more inequidistant leaflets.
PLATE 23.—Calamus falabensis Becc. Partial inflorescence and apex of the leaf
of the type-specimen in the Herbarium at Berlin.
17. CALAMUS LEPEIEUEII Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 200.
DESCEIPTION.—Very probably scandent and not of large size, ^lem
Leaf-sheaths Leaves shox-t, 35-10 cm. long, not cirriferous; petiole 7-10
cm. long, rather thick, subcylindric and longitudinally wrinkled (when dry), more or
less covered with greyish, removable, furfuraceous scurf, armed beneath and at the
sides with some strong, straight, horizontal, dark-tipped spines; rachis more or less
furfuraceous f IS is the petiole, rigid, and relatively thick, acutely bifaced above,
roundish beneath, where armed along the middle with solitary, straight, horizontal or
slightly deflesed spines, which change into small claws towards the apex; leaflets
rather many and crowded, inserted at an angle of about 45°, more or less inequidistant
or interruptedly eqmdistant, being sometimes, mainly near tho apex, divided by short
vacant spaces into 2-3 groups, where each leaflet is regularly about 15 mm. apart;
furthermore the leaflets are papyraceous, narrowly lanceolate, somewhat attenuate to
BECCARI. MONOG-EAPH OF THE GESTIS CALAMTTS. 159
C. Leprieurii]
the base, gradually subulately acuminate at the apex, opaque, sliglitly pale
than above, their mid-costa sparingly spinulous on both surfaces or smooth
the secondary nerves slender and naked; the transverse veinlets shs
interrupted; the margins rather closely spinulous, not or very slightly thicke..
marginal norvo; the largest 15-17 cm. long, 15 mm, broad, the upper ones
the two of the terminal pair quite free at the base. MaU spadiz fiagellifo
elongate, simply decompound, the one seen (wanting the base) I m. long
addition produced into a rather long finely clawed flagellum; primary spathes
narrow-tubular, cyliodraccous or somewhat flattened, strictly sheathing, charti
sparsely aculeolate, obliquely truncate at the mouth and produced at one side
triangular acute point ; partial inflorescences terminating in a caudate sheathed uu
appendix, in the spadix seen by me ô in number, of which the largest, the lowest, is
30 cm. long with 7 - 8 spikelets on each side, the others shorter and with fewer
spikelets; secondary spathes elongate-infundibuliform, unarmed, finely striately veineil,
obliquely truncate and naked at the mouth and pïoduced at one side into a broad
beneath
beneath;
•p, much
.ed by a
shorter ;
a, very
and in
very
;eou8,
ito a
r.ued
acute point; spikelets attached a little below the mouth of their own spathe,
the base than above (with the spathels there very closely imbricate!
laller than higher up), flattened, arched, spreading, the largest 6
flowers on each side, which are erecto-patent and half
_ athels ; spathels very asymmetrically iniundibuliform,
id
•ith about 12
n thei
entire, truncate and naked at the mouth ; finely striately veined, proa
rather acute tip ; involucre dimidiatcly cupular or shaped like
en
e side
nest,
, anticously truncate, posticously deeply Innately emarginate, acutely
and bi-dentate next to the axis. Male flowers narrowly Oîate, obtuse
triangular ;
narrower a
flowerless
cm. long
immersed
subspathace
duced at 03
a swallow's
two-keeled
slightly cm'ved or asymmetric; the calyx striately-veined, with 3 broad lobes; thé
corolla one-third longer than the calyx—its segments polished externally, apiculate or
almost obtuse. Female spadix elongate with rather many remote (about 40 cm. apart)
partial inflorescences; primary spathes as in the male spadix, the lowest about 25 cm.
long, split longitudinally on the ventral side and acutely bicarinate on the \
irmed with small remote ascendent spines; axial portions of thi
, the
(between two partial inflorescences) concave on the
convex and sparingly clawed dorsally; partial inflorescenci
long, terminated by a short, fihform, unarmed, tail-like a{
spikelets on each side; secondary spathes elongate-inf i
almost polished, truncate at the mouth and extended
triangular and rather acuminate point; spikelets inserted a little insid)
their respective spathes, rather thick, arched and recurved, the larg€
10-20 cm. long with 10-18 flowers on each side, the upper ones gradually decreasing
in length and number of flowers, the uppermost half tho length of the lower onesspathels
er side at their base and
IS very elongate, 30-50 cm.
•pendix, the
tndibuliform,
on one side
ith 12
marmed and
ito a broadly
the mouth of
the lowest.
iniundibuliform, unarmed, indistinctly striately veined, truncate and entire at
the mouth and prolonged at one side into a short triangular ultimately withered
spreading point; involucropborum inserted at the bottom of its own spathel,
subspathaceous or obliquely cupular, acutely bicarinate, bi-dectato and emarginate on
the side next to the axis, almost cntii-ely enclosed in its own spathel; involucre
ninilaterally cupular, rather deep, entire, with the areola of the sterile flower ovate,
.sharply defined. Female flowers about 5 mm. long, ovate. Fruiting peri^tk not