84 ANKAL3 OF THE ROYIL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. MONTICOLUS.
ovate-pyraniidate, rather acute, 5 mm. long; the calyx more or less distinctly 3-
dentate, the corolla not twice as long as the calyx. Fruiiing perianth expían ate.
Fruit globular, 2 cm. in diameter, sometimes very slightly turbinate or with its vertex
slightly depressed, and minutely beaked, and very slightly narrowing towards the base 5
Scales in 15 longitudinal series, shining, deeply channelled along the centre, with
a rather elongate triangular point, straw-yellow with a dark marginal line. Seed
subreniform (broader than high) and distinctly depressed, 14-15 mm. long, 11 mm.
high, 9 mm. thick; embryo basal.
HABITAT.—I discovered this species at about 1800 m. altitude on Mount
Singalang in the Province of Padang in West Sumatra, in June 1878 iP. Sum.
No. 291).
OBSERVATIONS.—It is easily recognisable amongst the species of the group by its
nodding long stalked spadlces, persistent spathes, and many other peculiarities. It
seems to be more closcly related to the species of the group D. vielanoohaetes than
to D. Sepal and its allied species.
PLATE 28. Daenionorops singalanus Beca. Portion of the stem with male
spadices; spadix with quite mature fruits. From P. Sum. No. 291 in Herb. Beccari.
25. DAEUONOROPS MONTICOLAS Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 328, pi. 175, f. V;
Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii, 90 ; Walp. Ann. v, «27 and iii, 477; Hook,
f. Fl. Brit, Ind. vi, 4(j5 ; Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv,. Ind. ii, 221.
Calamus monhcolus Griff, in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist, v, 90, and Palms
Brit. India, 97, pi. CCXIV. A. C. ; H. Wend), in Kerch. Palm. 337.
DESCEIPTION.—Erect, 2-5 m. high. Sheathed stem about 2'-5 cm. in diameter. Leafsheaths
armed with long, deflesed, flat, subulate, black thorns, disposed in lines but individually
distinct; surface dark-brown from adherent scurf; the mouth obliquely truncate,
almost spineless. Vp-pir leaves alone cirriferous; petiole about 26 cm. long, armed with
a dorsal row of stout claws and along the margins with long, generally deflexed spines ;
tiie rachis convex and armed with palmate claws on the lower surface, unarmed and
with a salient angle on the upper ; the cirrus itself 15 cm. long ; leaflets alternate or
often subopposite, rather numerous and approximate, equidistant, linear, 25-27 cm.
long, 10-15 mm. broad, subulately acuminate to a bristly tip, the central and two
lateral veins bristly on the upper surface, smooth on the lower except that the midcosta
bears towards the apex numerous small bristles ; margins bristly. Spadiees
slightly supra-axillary, approximate towards the apex of the plant but not very closely,
the leaf sheaths not being excessively short. Male spadix . . . . Female spaiix erect,
supported on a short peduncular part, fusiform before flowering, 35-40 cm. long on
the whole ; the outer spathe covered when young with black scurf, acutely two-keeled,
ai-med between and along the keels with scattered, weak, long, subulate, deflpxed,
flat, black spines ; the beak about as long as the body, armed, except towards the apex,
with not many, very long, deflexed subulate, sub-bristly spines; partial inflorescences 4 - 6;
t h e internodes not distinctly tumescent at the junctures, rather slender, tlie lowest
2 - 3 cm, long; secondary spathes amplectent, short, acute or subulate at one side ; the
branches bearing few spikelets, the latter with a sinuous axis, 3-5 cm. long, and with
D. monticolus.] BECCAEI. THE SPECIES OP DAEMONOEOPS. 85
5-7 distichous flowers in all ; the largest spikelets, the intermediate ones, occasionally
with 1-2 secondary few-flowered spikelets on each side; involucrophorum sub-nbconical,
short (1-2 mm.) and thick, with an asymmetric subspathaceous and unilaterally acute
limb, its apex often exceeding the iuvolucre, not or very slightly callous at its axilla;
involucre very shallowly cupular, truncate, entire, indistinctly veined externally; areola
of the neuter flower depressed, distinctly swollen on its upper side. Fruiting perianth
explanate Fruit apparently rather small, globose and conically beaked (when not
quite mature) ; scales in 18 longitudinal series, channelled along the middle, rather
dull, cinnamon-brown, their apex very obtuse and not spotted ; the margins finely
toothed, and with a narrow and uniform chestnut-brown intramarginal line.
HÌBITAI.—The Malayan Peninsula. Somewhat gregarious in thick forests on
Gunong Miring, an off-set of Mount Ophir, at an altitude of 500 or 600 metres.
{Griffith).
OBPIÌRVATI'iNS.—Imperfectly known. My description is chiefly derived from
Griffith, completed with the notes taken on the very fragmentary, authentic
specimens in the Herbaria of Kew and Calcutta. In both Herbaria the spadices
waut the outermost spathe, and this makes precise comparison v;ith allied
species difficult.
Its chief characters are :—Stem erect ; only upper leaves cirriferous ; leaf-sheaths
armed wirh scattered or subseriate, long, laminar, non-confluent spines; leaflets rather
numerous, equidistant, linear, narrow, rather numerous and approximate, subulate
and bristly at the apex; spadices slightly supra-axillary, approximate, but not
crowded at the apex of the plant, supported on a short peduncle, the sheaths
not being excessively short ; outer spathes cymbiform-fusiform, long-beaked, armed
between and along the prominent keels with scattered, weak, long spines ; the
beak about as long as the body and sparsely armed on its basal part with very
long, deflexed, subulate, sub-bristly spines; partial inflorescences short, and with but
few short, few-flowered spikelets; involucrophorum thick and short; areola of the
neuter flower distinctly callous, depressed. Fruit small, globular, conically beaked.
It would appear to me that the specimen given by Eidley to the Calcutta
Herbarium under No. 7100, collected by Ridley himself in December 1898 on Bukit
•Juru, Prov. Wellesley is to be referrod to D. nioniieolus. This same number
Ridley (Mat. I. c.) considers to belong to D. Lewisianus Mart.
DAEMONOROPS MONTICOLUS var. PiNANGiANtis Becc.
D. montieolus var. /9. Becc. in Rec, Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 221.
D. moniicoius Griff., Ridley, Mat. Fl. Malay. Pen. ii, 175.
Calavius monticolus GriS. Palms Br. Ind. 97, only as to the plant of Pinang and
pi. CCXIV, B).
DESCRIPTION.—Erect. Sheathed stem 1-2 eta. in diameter. Leaf-sheaths more or less
(sometimes indistinctly) costulate longitudinally, covered with a removable, darkbrown
scuif ; those of the upper part of the plant slightly gibbous above and
armed not very densely with long, deflexed, narrowly laminar, subulate, solitary or
subseriate, but individually distinct spines. Oorea very short, obliquely truneatc.
Leaves of the upper and fertile part of the plant rather small, with not many