ANNALS OF T H E EOTAL BOTANIC G - i E D E N , CALCUTTA. [¿J. SPECTABUIS
protnitling beyond the other; the outermost prolonged into a triangular, alumínate,
re point.
HABITAT.—Dutch West Borneo, but the exact locality and the name of the
collector not known, probably Tcijsmam. One specimen in tlie Herbarium at
Buitenzorg bears the number 16713 and the native name "Rotaa bosie" ( = the iron
Rotang), and another the number 16331 and the native name " Rotan asil<."
OBSiiRVATioNS.—Apparently the affinities of D. asieracanthus are to the species of
the group to which D. mirahilis belongs, hut it is rendered quite distinct from any
other specics known to me by several conspicuous characteristics and especially by
the radiately-stellate armament of the ieaf-sheaths, the distmctly grouped lanceolate
and quite smooth leaflets, and by the small spadices with quite unarmed spathes.
PLATE 107.—Daemonorops asteracanthus Bece. Upper portion of a leafy stem
•with a young spadis at its summit; from No. 16331 : two portions of the
leaves from No. 16713 (Herb. Hort. Bot. Bogor.).
8 2 5 « . (90) DAPIIONOROPS SPECTABILIS Becc. sp. n.
DESCRTPnoN.—Apparently large and scandent. Leaf-sheaths woody, very formidably
armed with unequal, frequently very large, laminar, dagger-shaped, brown
spines, which ai'e confluent by their bases, and arranged in oblique rows; some of
the spines are as much aa 6 cm. long, and 5-6 mm. broad at their bases. Leaves
Jargo; those of the upper part of the plant terminated by a very robust cirrus
which is armed, like the upper part of the rachis, with half or nearly three-quarter
whorls of very stout claws, confluent in groups of 5-7 by their considerably
swollen bases; on the upper surface the rachis has a very acute, smooth, salieat
angle, aud flat side faces; petiole . . . . ; leaflets very inequidistant, more or
less grouped, with long vacant spaces between the groups, which are formed by
2 - 3 not very approximate leaflets (3-6 cm. apart) on each side of the rachis; the
leaflets are firmly papyraceous, almost glossy and quite bare of spinules or hairs
on both surfaces, more or less plicate longitudinally, narrowly lanceolate,
broadest about their middle, tapering thonce lower down towards a rather acute
base, and iu the upper part to a rather abruptly acuminate, caudieulate, bristlyspinuljus
tip; they appear unicostate as they have the mid-costa acute on the
upper surface and all the secondary nerves unequal, but slender; transverse veiulets
extremely minute, short and numerous, much immersed in the parenchyma ; margins
minutely spinulous. Male spadix . . . Female spadix erect, rigid, strict,
the panicle is 30-40 cm. long, sometimes shorter, cupressiform, composed of 7-8 small,
appressed partial inflorescences and borne on a strongly flattened pedicellar part
apparently not quite as loag as the panicle, 6-10 mm. broad, thinly furfuracRous and
more or less armed on the rather acute edges with straight, often digitate horizontal
spines; primary spathes lanceolate, very acuminate, papyraceous, dry, easily splitting
longitudinally, equally brown and dull on both surfaces; the outermost spathe is rather
acutely two-keeled with the keels spinulous, otherwise it is smooth, shorter than the inner
ones; of these the second is about 25 em. long and about 3 cm. broad and has a few
spinules on a dorsal keel; the others, although shorter than the second, are slightly
D. speotabiUs] BECCARI. T H E S P E C I E S OF DAKMONOROPS.
protruded ono beyond the other, and are quite smooth ; the main axis
absolutely angular, thinly furfuraceous, unevenly surfaced, with internodes 2-5-4
loag; partial inflorescences shorter than their respective spathes, the lower, which a rj
the largest, are 10-11 cm. long, and carry alternately 2 or, at most, 3 spikelets on each
side; they are at first quite appressed to the main axis, and only very slightly spreading
or inserted at a very acute angl« when loaded with fruits; are slightly callous at their
axillas but have a deep transverse, rima; the axes -..f the partial inflorescences are flattish
on the axial side and have acute elges; secondary spathes membi-anous, tubular in
their basal part and produced above into a triangular acuminate point ; the
spikelets are short, have few flowers and an acutely ti-igonous axis; the largest
spikelets are 5-6 cm. long, and have only 3-4 female flowers on each side; spathels
membranous, striate, dry, very shortly tubular, produced at one side into a triangular
point, which at first embraces its respective female and neuter flower, and is 'soon
destroyed; each female flower is as usual accompanied by a neuter flower but this is
only slightly smaller than the female, and therefore 2 almost equal flowers 'spring from
each spathel in the spikelets before the anthesis; involucrophorum sessile, membranous
obliquely ciipular; involucre also obliquely cupular, membranous and similar to the
involucrophorum, in which it is hnmersed; areola of the
flattish, ovate and with well-defined edges. Pemale
neuter flower cnnspicuoug,
• conical, very acute, relatively
large, about 1 cm. long; the calyx finely striately veined, broadly and deeply 3-
lobed, later split into 3 parts down to the base; the corolla twice as long as the
calyx, its segments triangular, acuminate aud almost pungent; staminal urceolum
conspicuous and thickish, crowned by 6 short teeth, and by triangular anthers.
NeiUer flowira very similar to the female, but somewhat sma,IIer ; ' t h e y have a rather
well conformed staminal urceoiuai and authors, but an abortive ovarium. Pruitimj
perianth not pedicelliforra, but not quite explanate under the fruit. Fruit regularly
ovoid or sub-obovoid, very shortly, broadly and conically beaked, about 3 cm,
long and 12-13 mm broad; scales broader than long with a round point, ai-ranged
in 15 longitudinal series, each series of about 10, not reckoning the Ury small
ones at both ends, very shallowly-grooved along the centre, dull k-own, edged with
a narrow, uniform, almost black, intramarginal line all round; the extreme ma
veiy minutely fringed and ciliated. Seed not seen when quite mature.
l a r g in
HABITAT.—N.-W. Dutch Borneo at Liang-gagang, in the Residency of
discovered by H. JlaHier in 1893-94 (No. 2797 in Herb. Hort. Bot. Bogor.).
OBSIÎRVATIONS.—Tl.is is a very fine and quite distinct species, apparently somewhat
related to the species which have membranous spathes, such as D. longipcs and Z>. hngia.
patJms. The portions of leaves which accompany the spadices in the Buitenzorg
Herbarium evidently belong, in part, to the leaves of the upper part of a climbing
plant, as they terminate in a long and very powerfully clawed cirrus- but in part
are radical, or taken from a young plant, having only a rudimentary cirrus at
their ends. The leaflets however are equal in all.
PiiTK lOS—Daemonovops speclaWH» B„c. A female spadix j™t before fhe
anthisis; entire panclo w.th nearly mature fruits; an entire female spadix with