1 8 5 AHNAM 01? THE BOTAI. BOTISIO AAEDEN, CAlCnTTi. [ff. (JigitatUS
feined, with 3 sliort broad acute lobes i corolla twice as long as the calyi, divided down
to the lower third of its length info 3 linear, callous, apioulate aogmeots, which Bra
strongly longitudinally striate outside; stamens in two series of unequal length, their
filaments united as high as the middle of the corolla, in the free portion thick near
the base, subulate and not inflected at the apex; anthers aagittate-laueeolate, acute, the
connoctiro and the filament black when d r y ; rudimentary ovaty very small, formed by
three small approsimate clavate bodies which are shorter than the filaments. Femah
ipadix and fruit unknown.
HABITAT.—Ceylon: in the neighbourhood of Galle, Thwaites. I have seen a
good specimen of this species in the Herbarium at Paris, gathered at Oaltura by
Lesohenault in July 1820.
fi-ee witli
prepared
Botanical
have
digitaius
ly distin-
Iso larger
filaments
OBBEavATiOHS.—The specimens of the "Ceylon Plants," which exactly ^
the description of C. pachsntemmm, of Thwaites, hear the No. 2334 and were
from plants originally found in the jungle near Galle and introduced into the
Garden at Peradeniya; but with the same No. 2334 specimens of C. digt
been also distributed. And indeed C. pachplemortm is closely related to 0.
with which it ha. been amalgamated by Thwaites, but from which it .s e.si
gni.hable by the pinnate leaves, as described above. The male Sowers are a
n 0. pachsittmo.ia than in 0. digilatm, and are^ callous at the top, with the
of the stamens thicker, shorter and more agglutinate.
C .»«J™;™»«», 0. digitatu, and C. radiatu, form a small group, peculiar to
Ceylon distinguished chiefly by the elongate curved flowers with hiseriato stamens and
filament, not inflected at the apex and with erect anther, when in the bnd.
• Le«>hena«lfs specimen has the leaf with two leaflets on each side of the rachis
b c i d ü e terminal pair; the leaflets have no. the .mall .p.nule. on the mid-costa
on the lower .urface, a. in Thwaites'. specimens.
PT.xr o r - C a l a m u s paohy.temonus Th„. An entire leaf .een from the lower
. „ r f a L T i h e ba.e of another seen from the upper one and an entire male .p.dix,
from Thwaite.'s specimen m Herb. Kew.
22, CAIA^S BIOITATC. Bccc. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 442; Beco. in
Ree. Bot. Surv. Ind. u, 20L
a pachyetemonus (partly) Thw. Eaum, PI. Zeyl. 431.
DE8CBiPTi0N-High scandem, very slender. Si>^alhed stem 5-8 mm. in diam. Leafvery
slightly gibbous above, more or less armed with subulate, elongate or short,
L d e r hTrizontal spines or sometimes almost unarmed or only transversely rugose
o Z mooth or spinulous, at first liguliform, 5-7 mm long ve^' soon withered
and deciduous, therefore apparently short and very obhquely cut ofl. very
hort with very few sub-digitate or indistinctly aub-pmnate leaflets; petiole subterete
channelled above, 7-8 cm. long, sometimes almost unarmed usually furniahed nea,
S e base laterally ^ith some straight, rather strong, ascendent spmea and armed
C n w with a few distant irregular claws of which a few sometimes also appear on
f l f l verv short rachis; leaflets mostly only two, sometimes 3-4, but whatever be
their number the two of the terminal pair more or less confluent at the base
G. digitatus'] BECCARI. M O N O G R A P H OF THE GENÜ8 CALAMUS. 16?
and the side ones, when these are present, quite free and very approximate to the
terminal pair, or exceptionally 15-20 mm. apart, and therefore sub-pinnately
aet; furthermore the leaflets are oblong-spathulate, or oblanceolate, slightly narrowed
at the base, enlarged upwards, where somewhat convex above and very suddenly
contracted into a short biistly-brushed tip, 30-30 cm. long and 3-6'5 cm. broad
{the lower ones usually slightly narrower than the upper ones), chartaceoue, rigidulous,
shining and acutely 3- or exceptionally in the terminal leaflets 5-co8tate above
(the mid-costa the strongest), with intermediate, often rather prominent,, secondary
costoe and other minor nerves; all nerves naked on both surfaces; margins acute,
smooth ; the lower margin bordered with a polished band as in C. packysiemonus ;
transverse veinlets slender, sharp and crowded, Male and female spadioes very much
the same, very slender, 1-1'5 m. long, flagelliform, terminating in a very
slender, filiform, aculeolate appendix with a callous swelling at their insertion and
a transverse rima in their upper axilla, simply decompound, with 2-6 partial
inflorescences; primary epathes tubular, very closely sheathing, very narrow, the
lowermost flattened, spinulous near the base, the upper ones cylindrical, aculeolate,
truncate at the mouth, acute or acuminate at one side and often split at the
apex; partial inflorescences straight, elongate, 8-15 cm. long, narrow, dense,
bearing distichously 10-20 short approximate spikelets; secondary spathes tubular
infundibuliforra, glabrous, striately veined, longitudinally truncate and not ci liât e at
the mouth, apiculate at one side; spikelets inserted Just at the mouth of their own
spathe, arched or subscorpioid and strongly deflexed, with a distinct callus and a
transverse rima in their upper axilla. Male spikeUts 8-10 mm. long, with 5-8
(seldom more) flowers on each side; spathels very crowded, concave, scale-like,
broadly-ovate, acute ; involucre dimidiately cupular, obliquely truncate, flat and twokeeled
on the side next to the axis. Male flowers vnry closely packed, slender,
cylindrical, curved or subfalcate, rather obtuse, 4 mm. long, 1 mm. thick ; calyx
campanulate, strongly striately veined with 3 short, broad, acute lobes; corolla two
and a half or three times as long as the calyx, divided down almost to the base into
3 linear, acute, striate segments; stamens 6, arranged in two series, 3 longer than
the others, their filaments thickened at the base, subulate and not inflected at the
apex; anthers lanceolate-sagittate, dorsally attached (crect and not versatile during the
anthesis?); their connective perfectly black when dry; rudimentary ovary formed by
3 small clavate bodies which are shorter than the filaments. Female spikelets larger
than the male ones, the largest 2 cm. long, with 8-10 very approximate flowers on
each side; spathels very short and broad, subspathaceous, strongly striately veined, acuta
at one side; involucrophorum obliquely infundibuiiform, truncate, almost completely
sunk in its own spathel and attached to the base ot the one above; involucre cupular,
rather deep, entire, obliquely truncate ; areola of the neuter flower very large,
broadly ovate, acute, deep, sharply defined by a raised border. Female flowers ovoid,
acute, about 3 mm. long; calyx divided into 3 ovate, acute, striately-veined lobes;
corolla about one-third longer than the calyx, its segments striate, lanceolate, acute;
stemens with filaments united at the base and dentiform in the free part. Neuter
flowers scarcely smaller than the fertile ones. Frtàting perianth explan ate under the
fruit, not pedicelliform. Fruit globular, 9-10 ram. in diam., very shortly mucronate ;
scales in 12 series, distinctly longer than broad, faintly channelled along the middle,