f ' l l f i l
ANNALS OP THE ROYAL BOTJUILO GJUIDEN, GALCTJTTA. [C. PerroUetii
pBdicellifoim, split down to the base into 6 eqiml lanccolate strongly striated lobes
(3 of the calyx and 3 of the corolla). Fritii (immature) ovate, conically narrowed at
the apoi ; scales in 13 series, yolloiviBh near the base and with a broad intramarginal
sharply defined band and a scarious brown fimbriate-denticulate margin. Seed . . .
. . —The spikelets and flowers acquire in drying a chocolate-brown colour.
HABITAT.—West Tropical Africa: Senegambia, Leprmir.
OBSEEYATIONS.—Of this species, which has remained more than 713 years unnamed in
Herbaria and has not been found again by modern travellers, I have seen in the Paris
Herbarium a specimen of a male Bpadii, accompanied by two entire leaves, labelled:
"Senegambia-M. Lepriem-, lS30-Herbiet d'Adtien de Jussieu, denne an Museum
par ses enfants en 18.57," and another specimen, apparently of the same gathering
and -with immature fruit, in Delesserfs Herbarium at Geneva. A third specimen,
consistin.' of two partial female inilorcsconoes and one leaf, is preserved in the Leyden
Herbarium and was also gathered by Lcprieur in fieuegal. The leaflets of the female
specimen in the Leyden Herbarium have a small and short but relatively strong
spinule at their base on the upper side next to the rachis. This spinule is scarcely
visible in the two loaves of the Paris specimens, which loaves are respectively 30
and 40 cm. long and are very similar to that of the above-mentioned Leyden
Specimen, but in° one the leaflets are distinctly grouped, while in the other they
arc almost equidistant and with short vacant spaces only near the ape* of the leaf.
The mid-oosta is sparingly spinulous above and quite smooth beneath m both.
PLATE 33.—Calamus Leprieuiii Becc. An entire leaf (undersurface); male spadix
apparently almost entire. From Lepricur's specimen in the Paris Herbarium.
PLATE 24.—Calamus Leprieurii Beec. Leaf and portion of a female spadix with
very young fruit. From Lepricur's specimen in the Loyden Herbarium.
18. CALAMUS PESRORRETII Beec. in Rec. Bot. Sarv. I n d . ii, 200.
DESCHIPTIOK.—Slender, seandent. Leaf-shmljts armed -\vith scattered laminar rather
small, 8-10 mm. long, black-tippcd spines. Ocrra rather elongate, lutfuraceous,
horizontally truncate, very sparingly spinulous at the base and not on the outer
Bide. Ltf«" (in one specimen) 60 cm. long, not cirriferous; petiole rather long
(18 cm.), rather thick, subcylindrio and wrinkled longitudinally when dry; armed
irrcoularly all round with some straight, horizontal, rather strong, 1 cm. long, darktipped
spines; rachis more or less fugaciously fnrfnraceoas as is the petiole, rigid and
relatively thick, acutely bifueed and smooth above, ronndish beneath, where armod
along the middle with solitary, straight, horizontal or shghtly defleied spines, which
change into small claws towards the apex; leaflets rather many and crowded,
inserted at an angle of about 45°, interruptedly equidistant, viz. divided in
groups by short vacant spaces, but equidistant in each group, papyraceous, linearlanceolate,
somewhat attenuate towards the base, gradually subulately acuminate to the
apex, opaque, slightly paler beneath than above, their mid-costa acute and
sparingly spinulous above or smooth on both surfaces; the secondary nerves slender
and naked; the transverse veinlets sharp, much interrupted; marghis rather closely
spinnlous ; the largest leaflets, those a httle above the base, 18-20 cm. long, 12-14
C. PerroUetii] BECCARL MONOGHAPH OF THE GENira CALAMO3. igl
mm. broad, the uppermost shorter, the two of the terminal pair free at the base.
Mah spadix Female spadix apparently as in C. Leprieurii; primary
spathes ; partial inflorescences elongate, with many distichous spikelets on
each side and terminating in a short, sbeatbed; unarmed, tail-like appendix j secondary
spathes elongate-infundibuliform, unarmctl, finely striately veined, entire and obliquely
truncate at the moutb and extended at one side into a broadly tnangular, acute
point; spikelets inserted just at the mouth of tiieir respectiye spathes with a rather
distinct axillary callus, rather thick, arched and recurved, the largest (the lowest in a
portion of au inflorescence) 7 cm. long, with 10 pairs of female flowers on each side
(as it seems that each spathel subtends two equally well-formed female flowers) ; the
uppermost spikelets half the length of the lower ones ; spathels approximate, broadly
infundibuHform with a very narrow base, striately veined, extended, at one side into a
broadly triangular, acute or acuminate, erect, araplecfcont point; involucrophorum almost
entirely immersed in its own spathel and attached at the base of the one above, subspatbaceous,
enveloping the neuter flower, acutely bi-carinate, bi-dentate and deeply
emarginate on the side next to the axis ; involucre deep, cupular, unilaterally evolute,
sub-auriculiform, immersed in the involucrophorum ; areola of the neuter flower very
conspicuous, ovate, concave, with raised and often winged borders. Female flowers
ovate, 5 mm. long ; the calyx striately veined, cleft into 3 concave, ovate, acute parts;
the segments of the corolla concave, acute, ovate-lanceolate, opaque, striately veined
externally, slightly longer than the calyx. Neuter flower apparently not differing from
the female one, which is in the usual position.
HABITAI'.—Senegal : at the mouth of the River Casamance.
OBSEKTATIONS.—In the year 1902 I had given tlio name of C. PerroUetii to a
Calamus preserved in the Herbarium Delessert at Geneva and collected by Perrottet
(No. 761) in the damp forests of the west coast of tropical Africa on the 10th of
April 1829, near the village Sedbiou on the river Casamance in Senegal. Later I
have received another _ specimen of this same species from Dr. Schweinfurth and
collected by Lepiieur in 1826, also on the rivor Caaamunce near the village of
Montsor at Cape Rosso. This last specimen consisted of the apex of a stem
with a portion of the leaf-sheath and an entire leaf, and of the apex of a
partial inflorescence 20 cm, in length with 6 spikelets on each side. This is the
specimen I have described. ' C. Peiroitelii is extremely like C. Leprieurii, but its
spikelets have a peculiar facies on account of the large, broadly infundibuliform,
spathaceous spathels wbicli embrace the flowers; the leaflets have not at their base
the spinules so often seen in C. Leprieurii and are more elongate than in this last.
In 0. Leprieurii the companion neuter flower at each spathel is always sterile, whilst
in C. PerroUetii the two flowers during anthesis seem perfectly alike, but I have
seen no spikelots after fertilisation. Nevertheless C. PerroUetii must be considered as
a rather doubtful species, and must bo compared again with C. Leprieurii when more
J materials have come to hand.
PLATE 25.—Calamus Perrottetii Becc. The entire Perrottet's type-specimen in
Herb. Schweinfurth.
ANN. BOT. BOI. GARB. CATCUTTA YOL. X I .
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