2 3 0 ANNALS OF THE EOYAL BOTANIC TABUEN, CALCUTTA, ¡^ß^ florídUS
growing ovaries; portion of a sheath probably from a radical leaf: from Hallier's
Bpecimen No. 2797 in Herb. Hort. Bot. Bogor.
83 5ís. (91) DAEMÜNOROPS FLOKIDUS Bece. SP. n.
DISSCRIPTION.—Apparently scandeat and rather large. Sheathed stem about 5 CM.
in diameter. Leaf-sheaths strongly iirmed with laminar, light-coloured spines, of which
some, especially those near the mouth, are very large (as much as 4-5 cm. long
and 5-Ö mm. broad) finely subulate to a sinous, or wavy, or, at times, bipai-tite
point; mized with these are many others, much smaller, but of the same shape.
The leaves seem very large. The portion of one seen by me is of the upper
part, and this terminates in an extraordinarily robust cirrus, very regularly nrmed
with half-whorls of very robust claws, 5-7 in number, which are highly connate iuto
a light-coloured swollon base, and have short, very sharp, black points; the rachis on
its upper surface has a not very acute, smooth, salient angle, with flat side faces
on the lower surface it is strongly convex and armed like the cirrus; the leaflets
are distinctly but ii-regularly grouped, separated by variable, at times rather long,
vacant spaces; they are inserted at a rather acute augle, and, ia the groups, are
2-5 cm. apart; they are very firmly papyraceous and rigid, coarsely plicate
longitudinally, quite bare of spinales or bristles, and almost glossy on the upper
surface; slightly paler, dull, and also quite smooth, on the lower; lanceolate,
uuicostate, and with 2-3 slender, although sharp nerves on each side of the midcosta;
broadest about thgir middle, and tapering thence at once upwards to a
very gradually acuminate and long point, and downwards to an acute base;
the margins are very remotely and inconspicuously spinulous; transverse veinleta
inconspicuous, being immersed iu the parenchyma; the largest leaflets seen by me
are 30-35 cm. long, and about S cm broad: those nearer to the cirrus are smaller.
Male svadii; Female spadix, in one specimen, is I'5 m. long, very
narrow, the panicle is formed by 10-11 gradually diminishing partial inflorescences,
IS borne on a robust, rigid, flattened psdicellar part which is about 15 cm, long,
2 cm, broad, strongly flattened, and acutely two-edged, the edges armed with
straight, spreading spines; the main axi? is subtereto or obaoletely angular and
slightly flattened, especially in its upper part; the internodes are 8-10 cm. long,
not swollen at the junctures, and not marked by irregularities caused by the
pressure of the adjoining parts; primary spathes thinly coriaceous: the outermost not
seen by me : the inner are at first tubular, each protrudes considerably beyond
the other; later they split longitudinally, and are more or less spread open, 25-30
cm. long, about 3 cm. broad, their apex triangular, dull on both surfaces, of a
general red-browa colour, glabrous, and finely striate inside, fugaciously-rustyfurfuTiiceous
externally, quite unarmed: partial inflorescences cupressiform ; the lower
are 10-12 cm. long, have the axes rigid, and the internodes short; the lowest
interuode is flattened, and the others, especially towards the apex, are sinuous;
the spikelets are 6-8 in number un each side of the axes, and speedily decrease
in length and number of flowers from the base towards the apex of the partial
inflorescences; secondary spathes thinly membranous, dry, reddish-brown, shortly
tubular-infundibuliform, considerably produced at one side into a triangular acuminate
D. ßoridus] BECCAEL THE SPECIES OF DAEMONOEOPäpoint;
the spikelets are rigid, and have a strongly zig-zag sinuous, angular axis;
spafchels shortly, broadly and unilaterally infundibuliform, produced at one
side into a very short, broadly-triangular point; involucrophorum conspicuously
pcdicelliform, 3-5 mm. long, angular, broadening upwards, and expanded into a
short, obliquely-evolute limb; involucre very shallowly and unilaterally cupular, tran
cate, obsoletely bidentate on the side of the neuter flower, of which the areola
is rather conspicuous, ovate, niche-like, and with sharp edges; the lower spikelets are
8-10 cm. long, and hare 8-10 flowers on each side; the others speedily decrease
in length and number of flowers; the uppermost lire 2-3 cm. long and have 6-8
flowers only. Fmaie flowers O7oid, bluntiah; the calys tubdar-cyathiform, yery
shallowly and obsoletely 3-toothed, very minutely striateiy-veined; the corolla twice
as long as the calys. Nmter flowers very similar to the female, but somewhat smaller.
All the asial parts of the spadis are covered with a conspicuous rusty-furfuraceous
indumentum. Fruits unknown.
HABITAT.—Borneo in Sarawak at Kuching (J. Eewift in Herb. Kow.).
0BSEET1TI0KS.-A beautiful species, rather closely related to D.
from which it diflors in the very olougato spadix, aud in the spikelets which
the flowers borne on a conspicuous involucrophorum, whereas this part is short
and only slightly protruded beyond its own spathel in D. aeamfMaehys.
PLME I09.-Daemonorop, floridus Beee. Upper end of a loaf; upper portion of
a leaf-sheath; an entire female spadix (in two pieces) with not yet open flowersthe
pedicellar part of this same sp.diz is attached to the upper end of its leat
sheath : from Hewitt's typical specimen in Herb. Kew.
Imperfeetli known, doubtful or excluded species.
DAEMONOEOPS ACIOULATUS liidley, Mat. Fl. Mai. Pen. ii 176.
I have not seen specimens of this Daemonorops of the section which
would seem to be closely related to D. imtdlis Becc., if not identical with it, on
account of its spadii furnished with a peduncular pai-t 4 inches long, and an
ovoid fruit, over an inch long. I do not know, however, o{ any Dae„«,or,fs with
scales in " 8 rows"; perhaps the author means that there are 8 scales in each
longitudinal row.
I reproduce here liidley's description: —
"Leaves 4-6 feet long, petiole 6 inches long, thickly sprinkled with short sharp
spmos on all sides; leaflets narrow linear acuminate, close equidistalt a t a ' t e and
sub„pp„»te, 8 - ! 0 inches long, f inch wide, margins, aud 3 nerves, aud p L T ^^
with rather long pale bristles. Spathe thin, fusiform, tapering at L base I n t o I
ndies long peduncle, thickly „ m o d with pale, flat, narrow spines; body of spatlie thickly
armed with very narrow spmes, flat and greenish, J to IJ i„„h long, solitary ANJ
in rows ; limb of spa,he 8 inches long, inch wide, ending in
ndie long; luner spathes papery unarmed. Male panicle 6 inches long dense
"branches flezuous, hairy. Bract, orbicular, cuspidate, ribbed Caly. tabu ar, cup