•p
I
1 7 2 ANNALS OF THE EOYAL BOTANIC GAUDEN, CALCUTTA. [(?. MURICOTUS
those two. From C. ruvidus it dSiera in the more numfirous, flat and uot more
or less concave ensiform leaflets, which are bristly spinulous on 3 costai, and in
t h e spadix with elongate partial inflorescencoa which bear many remote spikelets.
From C. radulosus it differs in the leaflets which slightly decrease in length in
the upper part of the leaf and have the two ultimate leaflets larger than the
lower nnes, and in the much more slender partial inflorescences and spikelets.
PLATE 33.—Calamus scabridulus Becc. The terminal portion of a leaf (upper
surface); the portion of the same following (under surface) ; two partial inflorescences
with female flowers.—From Kiedel's specimen in Herb. Becc.
36. CALAMUS MDRICATUS Becc., Nelle Foreste di Borneo 609, and in Rec. Bot.
Surv. Ind. ii, 303.
DESCEIPTIOS.—Slender, scandent. Stem with the sheaths 13-16 mm. thick. Leafthcaths
flagelliferous, slightly gibbous above, obliquely truncate at the mouth, very
conspicuously armed with straight, horizontal, subwhorled spines which are 4-5 mm.
long and rest on approximate, prominent, annular ridges, these being alternate with
other smaller, sinuous, interrupted ridges or wrinkles, which are armed with very
email spines or are simply scabtid on their crest; the base of the petiole or the
apex of the sheath bears many such wrinkles. Ocrea very short, inconspicuous.
Lcaf-sheath flagella filiform, very slender, armed with very fine, small, ternate or halfwhorled
claws. Leaves not cirriferous ; petiole rather long (40 cm.), sub-biconvex
in section in its upper part, slightly flattish above and convex beneath near the
base, sparingly aculeolate on the back and at the margins upwards ; rachis
fiat and above bifaced and smooth, glabrous, armed with small, solitary, scattered
claws beneath ; leaflets not very many, 14-15 on each side, thinly papyraceous^
very inequidistant, scattered, not distinctly grouped, linear, very elongate, the
largest, those a little above the base, 35 cm. long, 13-14 mm. broad, gradually
narrowed to the base, and gradually acuminate at the apex into a subulate bristly
tip, about the same colour on both surfaces, sub-3-costulate, or with the midcosta
rather acute and one distinct acute nerve on each ?,ifle of it, all the 3
sparsely bristly-spiBulous above, beneath, the mid-costa only bristly ; margins very
adpressedly and inconspicuously spinulous ; transverse veinlets very minute, much
interrupted ; the two terminal leaflets smaller than the others and free at the
l,ase.—Other parts unknown.
HABITAT.—Borneo; on Mt. Mattang, near Kuching in Sarawak {Beccari P. B.
No. 1928.)—Malay name 'Rotang sakkat.'
OBSEBVATIONB.—Allied to C. zonatus, but distinct in its larger size, in the
more powerfully armed leaf-sheaths, in the longer petioles and larger leaflets
which are setose on 3 nerves above. The diagnostic characters of C. murieatuB
are the armature of the leaf-sheaths formed by whorled short spines which rest
on annular raised ridges alternating with interrupted wrinkles ; the leaves with a
long petiole and the not numerous, inequidistant, very narrow leaflets, which are
bristly on 3 nerves above.
PLATE 33.—Calamus muricatus Beco. The entire ( sterile ) type-specimen in
Herb. Beccari.
C. zonatus] BECCAEI . MONOGRAPH OP T H E GENITS CALAMUS.
27. CALAMUS ZONATUS Becc., Nelle Foreste di Borneo
Surv. Ind. ii, 203.
19, and in Rec. Bot,
DESCRIPTION.—Very slender, scandent. Hheatlted stem 7—8 mm. in diam. Leafskeatlis
flagelliferous, gibbous above, striate longitudinally, conspicuously ornamented
with approximate, sinuous, unequal, sometimes interrupted, annular ribs or prominent
wrinkles which are scabrid on their, crests or sometimes furnished with pungent
warts or rudimentary spinules. Leaf-sheath flagella very long, slender and very
finely clawed. Leaves delicate, not cirriferous, 50-70 cm. in length ; petiole short,
2-5 cm. long, flattish or slightly channelled above, rounded beneath where rather
strongly aculeate along the middle and at the sides; rachis glabrous, acutely bifaced
above, finely irregularly clawed throughout beneath ; leaflets not many, 10-12 on
each side, inequidistant, scattered, not distinctly grouped or fascicled, elongate-linear,
the largest (those a little above the base) 20-28 cm. long, 10-12 mm. broad, all
almost equally attenuate at both ends, acute at the base, gradually acuminate at the
apex into a subulate bristly tip, thinly papyraceous, rather rigid, of the same colour
and sub-shining on both surfaces, distinctly 3-costulate, the mid-costa sparingly bristly
above; all nerves naked beneath; margins smooth, only the apex ciliate; tranverse
veinlets fine, much interrupted; the two terminal leaflets smaller than the others,
more or less shortly connate at the base. Male spadix partially ultra-decompound,
•elongate, filiform, flagelliform, with few remote, very delicate partial inflorescences ;
primary spathes very narrow and long, very closely sheathing, the lowest sligh'ly
flattened, obliquely truncate and entire at the mouth, almost unarmed; the upper
ones cylindraceoue, extremely narrow, aculeolate mainly in their upper part; unsheathed
axial portions of the spadix between two partial inflorescences very slender,
clawed on the outer side; partial inflorescences 20-40 cm. long, inserted above the
mouth of their own spathe, divaricate, with a conspicuous axillary callus; the
lowest inflorescedces (the largest) decompound, with 1-3 branches on each side near
the base and 5-6 simple spikelets (also on each side) in the upper part; secondary
spathes very narrow, very closely sheathing, slightly clavate, scabridulous, obliquely
truncate at the mouth, acute at one side, the lowest 4-5 cm. long, the upper ones
gradually shorter, the uppermost 15-20 mm. long; spikelets 3-6 cm, long, very
slender and delicate, filiform, straight, horizontal, attached, above the mouth of their
own spathe with a distinct axillary callus and bearing 18-20 horizontally inserted
flowers on each side; spathels tubular-cylindraceous at the base, suddenly expanded
into a short, infundibuliform, truncato, scabrid limb; involucre completely exserted
from its own spathel and laterally attached to the base of the one above, subdiscoid
or shortly cupular, with a short, obsoletely bidentate, strongly striately veined
limb.—Other parts unknown.
HABITAT.—Borneo ; Mt, Mattang, near Kuching in Sarawak {Beccari P. B.
No. 1921.)—A specimen gathered by Lobb, probably also in Sarawak (Herb. Calc.),
bears a male spadix, but all the flowers have fallen.
This species produces a very slender Rotang of great toughness, used by the
Malays of Sarawak for fastening the ii-on blade of their axes to the handle,
whence its name of ' Rotang perdas' (perdas = the handle of the Malayan axe).