F
170 AUJÎALS OP THE JlOTAli BOTiNIC GAEHEN, CALCUTTA. [C. ruvidus
ahinitig on both surfaces, 28-30 cm. long and 3'5 cm. broad, with 5 cost£e,
which are acute above but prominent also on the lower surface and naked
on both; transverse veinlets very fine, approximate and continuous; margins
smooth; the two terminal leaflets a little shorter but broader than the side
ones and united in the lower third of their length, suddenly contracted at
the apex into a bristly-penicillate tip. Male spadix Female spadix
not flagelliform, paniculate, with not many, approximate, partial inflorescences
and terminating in a long spikelet, which bears at its base a finely clawed filiform
appendix 7 cm. in length (a rudimentary flagellum); primary spathes not
very elongate (5-10 cm.), closely sheathing in their lower portion, somewhat
enlarged and loose above, finely striated longitudinally, thinly coriaceous, glabrous,
greenish-brown, armed with small scattered claws in their lower portion, decayed and
falling to pieces (not fibrous) iu their upper part, the dead part sharply defined
from the living; partial inflorescences approximate, all (except the uppermost
which is smaller) of about the same size, 15-18 cm. lone, inserted inside their own
spathe, at first ascendent, then arched, bearing 8-10 spikelets on each side and
terminating in a spikelet longer than the side ones; secondary spathes strongly and
densely scabrid-papillose, tubular-cyliDdraceous and strictly sheathing in their basal
portion, suddenly enlarged near the mouth and extended at one side into a rather
long, triangular, subulate, decayed point; spikelets vermiculaj-, inserted just
at the mouth of their own spathe, slightly callous at their upper axilla, horizontal
and somewhat arched, the largest, the lowest, 6-7 cm. long, with 15-20 very
approximate flowers on each side; the upper a little shorter; spathels very densely
scabrid-papillose, with a very short tubular basal part and suddenly expanded into a
concave subcymbiform limb, which is .prolonged at one side into a triangular, acute,
spreading or defiexed tip; involucrophorum shallowly cupular, attached almost outside
its own spathel at the base of the one above; involucre more or less regularly
cupular. often asymmetrically evolute, strongly striately veined; areola of the neuter
flower very large, flattish, almost circular, very sharply bordered, sometimes only
slightly smaller than the involucre. Fruiting perianth explanate; the calyx divided into
3 broad indistinctly veined lobes; the segments of the corolla lanceolate, one-half or
one-third longer than the calyx, smooth outside. Fruit (unripe) very small (7 mm.
in diam.), spherical, very shortly beaked; scales in 16 series, yellowish-brown,
convex, very faintly channelled along the middle, with scarious finely erose margins
and tip, where sometimes they are marked with an indistinct intramarginal line.
HABITAT.—Borneo ; Sarawak, {Lohb in Herb, Kew).
OBSEBVATIOSS.—I have seen of this only one specimen (preserved at Kew) consisting
of the upper part of a leaf and the apex of an immature fruiting spadix. This
poriiion OÎ spadix (probably the greater part of it) is 40 em. long and bears 4
partia inflorescences. C. ruvidus is a near ally of G. scabridulm and C. raduhsus by
its very scabrid secondary spathes, spathels and involucres ; it differs however from
both in the leaves having very few, 6-costulat.e, somewhat concave leaflets, which
are oblanceolate or broadest above the middle, without bristles or spines, and in the
rather compact female spadix with few short and approximate partial inflorescences.
The characters assigned by me to the leaf-sheaths in the diagnosis of G. ruvidus ia
BECCAEI. MONOaBAPH OF THE GENUS CALAifUS.
at Kew, which I
think it safer not to take
at
C. scabridulus]
t h e Records" 1. c. belong to
doubtfully referred to that species, but which I no^
into account. This last specimeu was gathered by
Borneo.
PLATE 31.—Calamus ruvidus Bece. The complete type-specimen preserved at
. Kew.
25. CALAMUS SCABHIDULUS Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 203.
DESCEIPMON.—Scandent, slender or of moderate size. Leaf-sheaths
ieaves not cirriferous; petiole ; rachis of the upper part of
the leaf armed beneath with rather stout solitary black-tipped olaws; leaflets not
Tery numerous, sub equidistant, rather re^ttote, 4—7 cm. apart, iiat, papyraceous
rigidulous, narrowly lanceolate or ensiform, almost equally nan-owod to both ends,
very gradually acuminate into a subulate apex, 40-45 cm. long and 2-2*5 em. in
breadth, the upper ones somewhat shorter, the two of the terminal pair shortly
connate at the base, 23-25 cm. long, but a little broader than the others; all
almost concolorous, shining and very finely longitudinally striate under the lens
on both surfaces, furnished above with 3 rather acute bristly-spinulous cost® and
with in addition another more slender naked nerve near the margin ; on th©
under surface the 3 costee less prominent than above and sparingly spinulous near
the apex ; transverse veinlets very distinct, sinuous and interrupted ; margins
indistinctly, remotely and appressedly spinulous. Male spadix
Female spadix (not seen entire) with very slender and long (iiO cm.) partial
inflorescences, these terminating in a short (3-4 cm.) filiform, very acute, scabridulous
appendix and bearing about 10 spikelets on each side ; secondary spathes very
narrowly tubular and very closely sheathing, somewhat clavate in their upper part,
flattish inside at the base, I'o—2'5 cm. long, scabrid, finely aculcolate upwards on
the back, entire, obliquely truncate and ciliated at the mouth, where produced at
one side into a lanceolate and acuminate point ; spikelets vermicular, slender,
slightly arched, attached just above the mouth of their own spathe and deflexed
by the pressure of a very distinct axillary callus; the lowest spikelets, the largest,
6 cm. in length, with above 20 distichous flowers on each side, the upper ones
gradually smaller, those near the apex 2-5 cm. long with proportionately fewer
flowers ; spathels very broadly infundibulifonn or concave and sub-bracteiform, prolonged
at one side into an acute tip, densely scabrid-papillose and strongly
striately veined; involucrophorum unilaterally subcupular, almost exserted from its
own spathel and attached at the base of the one above ; involucre asymmetrieally
cupular, obscurely lobulate; areola of the neuter flower relatively large, broadly
ovate, sharply bordered with a discoid subcircular callus in its centre. Fejnale flowers
small, 2-5 mm. long (perhaps when not fully developed), conic-ovoid, acute ; the
calyx with a calloso base, strongly striately veined, broadly 3-toothed ; corolla
twice as long as the calvx- Fruit not seen.
HABITAT.—Billiton Island in the J ava Sea 187«, in Herb. Becc.)—Malay
name 'Rotang mengkekeran' (Keker = a file).
OBSERVATIONS.—This species is very nearly allied to C. ruvidus and
C, radulosus, and the secondary spathes and the involucres ai-e very scabrid as in
AKN. EOT. BOT, QARD. CiLouriA VOL. XI.
i; n