102 ANNAIS OF THE EOYAL BOTAIilC GAJaDEW, CALCTTTTA. [(?. S c h w e i n f u r t hn
19. CALAMUS AKIUENSIS Becc. sp. n.
DESCRIPTION.—Apparently ecandent. Siem . . . . . Zea/sheailis
Leaves Female spadix: partial inflorescences rather large, in one specimen
50 cm. in length, elongate-pyramidal in outline, with 15 gradually shortening
spikelets [on each side; secondary spathes infnndibuHform, usually split longitudinally
i n | t h e i r upper part and prolonged at one side into a rather elongate-triangular acuminate
p o i n t ; spikelets thick, vcrmicular, inserted near the mouth, but inside their own
s p a t h e ; the lower ones, the largest, 15 cm. long with about 25 flowers on each side,
s l i g h t l y sinuous; the upper ones gradually shorter and with fewer flowers, strongly
a r c h e d ; those near the apex 7-8 cm. long with 7-8 flowers only on each side;
Bpathels finely striately veined, very broadly and obliquely infuudibuUform, extended
at one side into a broad triangular point; involucrophorum cupular, bi-dentate and
acutely two-keeled on the side next to the axis, inserted at the bottom of its own
spathel and entirely included in this; involucre entire, subauriculiform or obliquely
cupular, viz. more elongate on the side of the neuter flower of which the areola
is very distinct, vertically elongate and with a very acute margin. Female Jlomrs about
5 mm. long. Fruiiing perianth split and explanate under the f r u i t ; the segments of the
corolla lanceolate, acuminate, about as long as the lobes of the calyx and slightly
narrower than these. Fruit conically ovoid f r om a round base or gradually tapering
towards the apex into a conic and rather thick beak, about 2 cm, long and 1 cm.
b r o a d ; scales in 15 series, shining, broadly and not deeply channelled along the
middle, light-brown with a rusty-red i r r e g u l a r l y f r i n g e d margin, and an acute point.
Seed narrowly oblong, round at the base, somewhat apiculate at the apex, 11 mm.
long, 6 mm. thick, coarsely, irregularly and superficially grooved on the surface,
i t s chalazal fovea elongate on the centre of the xaphal side; albumen equable; embryo
basal.
HABITAT.—Discovered in December 1899 by W. H. Johnson at Kibbi in t h e Akim
d i s t r i c t of the Gold Coast (Herb. Kew).
OBSERVATIONS.—Of this species nothing is known beyond the partial inflorescence
w i t h mature f r u i t described above. Closely related to C. deerratus, but distinct by its
l a r g e r partial inflorescences with numerous spikelers, which are also larger with
broader or more spathaceous spathels. The f r u i t is longer or more gradually narrowed
i n t o a conic beak and with the scales in 15 series (in C. deerratus they are in 21)
with the margins coarsely and irregularly (not very finely) fringed. By its subspathaceous
spathels it resembles also C. Perrottetii a good deal.
PLATE 25A.—Calamus akimensis Becc. The entire type-specimen in Herb. Kew.
20. CALAMUS SCHWEINFDRTHII Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. l o d . ii. 200.
C. ¡ecundiflorus (not of Beauv.) Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiopiens, 291; Crude
i n Engler's Bot. J a h r b . xxi. 131 (1896).
DESCEIPTION.—Scandent, slender. Sheathed »tern 10-15 mm. in diam. Leaf-sheath»
elongate, cylindrical, armed with small, scattered, solitary, deflexed, flat, laminar,
subulate, blackish, shining spines, which rest on a small, tuberculiform, light base and
a r e about 1 cm. in length. Ocrea liguliform, 2 - 3 cm. long, prolonged externally and
C. Sahminfurthiil BECCAKI. MONOGRAPH OF THE ©EM03 CAIAMTJS. 163
obliquely cut like the mouth of a beaked flute, membranous, dry, bristly epinulous
along the middle of the ventral face. Leaves not cirriferous,^ those of the upper part
of the adult plant 1-2 m. in length including the petiole; this 25-30 cm. long and
6 - 7 mm. broad, finely longitudinally striate, flat and smooth above, the margins,
acute and feebly armed near their base with slender, straight, needle-like, black-tipped
spines and upwards with a few small claws, rounded beneath ; rachis remotely clawed
beneath along the middle as is the petiole—the claws extending, solitary and rather
small, to its apex ; smooth, acute and bifaced above; leaflets rather numerous, about
20 on each side, inequidistant, usually 15-20 cm. apart, but sometimes i n t e r r u p t e d by
! i - 3 longer vacant spaces, linear-ensiform, somewhat narrowing to the base, gradually
a t t e n u a t e towards the apex into a subulately acuminate spinulous-ciliolate point, t h i n ly
chartaceous, almost shining, ab<)ut the same colour on botli surfaces, but sHghtly
paler beneath; the mid-costa acute, sparingly bristly-spinulous near its apex above,
less prominent but more spinulous b e n e a t h ; the side nerves all slender, one on each
side of the mid-costa furnished on the upper surface with a few, rigid, dark, bristly
spinules; on the under surface 2 and sometimes i secondary nerves more or less
(as is the mid-costa) with spinules sliorter than those of the upper surface ;
veinlets very distinct, much interrupted ; margins minutely and closely
t h e bristles as well as the spinules on the neives and on the margins
have all a dark-brown point and a light bulbous base; the largest leaflets, those
near the base, 30-38 cm. long, 15-20 mm. broad; the uppermost shorter, less
acuminate, the two of the terminal pair quite free at the base; the leaves of young
shoots in not fully-grown plants are shorter, have the sheaths covered with a thin
ruscy-furfuraceous indumentum, the liguliform ocrea shorter and smooth, the petiole
even 50 cm. long, subterote and armed with longer straight spines, the leaflets
shotrer and relatively broader, subequidistant and less spinulous on the nerves. Male
spadix Fmale spadiji (not seen e n t i r e ) ; partial inflorescences with many
approximate distichous spikelets; the largest I have seen 35 cm. long with 13
spikelets on each side, terminating in a short, rather thick, unarmed, sheathed,
tail-like appendix; other inflorescences, which probably aro from the upper part of the
spadix, are much shorter and with fewer spikelets ; secondary spathes rather short,
infundibuliform, unarmed, thinly coriaceous, polished, truncate at the mouth, usually
longitudinally split, prolonged at one side into a broadly triangular, acute point;
spikelets thick, rigid, strongly arched and deflexed, attached inside the moutli of their
respective spathes; the lower ones the largest, about 7 cm. long, with 14-15 flower»
on each side, the uppermost slightly shorter ; spathels approximate, broadly
i n f u n d i b u l i f o r m , t h i n l y coriaceous, not distinctly veined and almost polished, horizontally
t r u n c a t e and entire at the mouth, shortly extended at one side into a triangular
p o i n t ; involucrophorum almost entirely immersed iu its own spathel and attached to
t h e base of the one above, cupular, bi-dentate and acutely two-keeled on the side
next to the a x i s ; involucre irregularly cupular, unilaterally evolute, sub-auriculiform,
polished and smooth internally, rather thick and subcoriaceous in texture; areola
of the neuter flower large, ovate concave, with sharp raised borders. Female flowers
about 5 mm. long, the corolla very slightly longer than the calyx. Fruiting periantti
not pedicelliform, split into 6 almost equal, ovate-lanceolate, acute parts. Fruit ovoid,
r o u n d e d at the base, conically narrowed at the apex or slightly contracted into a
ANJC. EOT. BOT. GARD. OAL(