9 8 ANNALS OP THE KOTAL BOTANIC GARDEN. CALCUTTA MACROPTERUS-
32. DAEMONOROPS MACROPTEBUS Becc. in Ree. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 223.
Calamus (Sect. Daemonorops) macroptenis Miq.
29; H. Wendl. in Kerch. Palm. 336.
Palm. Arc. Ind. 19 and
DKSCRIPTDN.—High scandent, very large and robust. ShiaVied slem 7-8 cm. in
diameter. Leal-sheutks woody, densely armed with numftroua, deflexcd, flat, rigid,
dull, furfuraceous, bkckish. irregularly seriate, long and formidable (3-B cm.) spines,
intermixed with otliers that are smaller and ascendent. Leaves very large,
about m. long in the pinniferous part, terminating in a very robust cirnis-
2 m. long; the petiole is very robust, 50 cm. long, 3 cm. broad, flat on the
upper surface and very densely armed with erect, rigid, flat, straight, scatt-ered
or irregularly seriate spines, lower surface convex and also armed with numerous
straight, flat, usually deflexei spines; the very robust racliis on the lower
surfaco is convex and armud in its first portion with small, scattered, confluents
and irregularly seriate claws; higher up, and espocially towards the apex
and on the cirrus, these are united by their SAiollen bases, so as to form
at regular distiinces, half-whorls of 6-10 each; the salient angle on the upper
surface of the rachis is copiously furnished with, small ascendent prickles. Leaflets
large, numerous, equidistant, ensiforni or narrowly lanceolate; the middle leaflets
60-<)5 cm. long, '^'5-i cm. broad, papyraceous, green and concolorous on both
surfaces, broadost not vory far above the base, and thence very gradually narrowing
to ft subulately acuminate tip; the mid-costa is moderately thick, ai;ute, bristly
spinulous near the tip and has a single slender nerve on each side of it
furnished with moderately long bristles; on its under surface the mid-costa has
from the middle upwards rather long but remote bristles; transverse veinlets
very minute, very approximate, and sharp; margins closely, minutely, and
appresBedly spinubus. Ma/e spadiz before flowering nodding on a rather elongate
pedicellar part, otherwise straight and rigid, terete and not thicker than a man's
finger (U-16 mm.), 60-85 cm. long, including the pedicellar part which is-
•>5-30 cm, long and passes very gradvially into the outeimost spafche, is flattened
and very densL-ly armed with acicular, flat, scattered or fascicled, irregularly set,,
erect, spreading or deflexed, 1-2 cm. long spines; the outer spathe is very
narrowly lanceolate, almost flat, and with rovolute margins ; after flowering, it is
coriaceous, very rigid, and gradually narrows to an acuminate . tip, externally it
is not (or only obsoletely) two-keeled, but is quite covered with a soft greyishbrown,
furfuraceous indumentum; it is also armed, sparingly on the body but
strongly towards the base, with thin, laminar, elastic spines, similar to those of the
pedicellar part but longer; the apex is also more or less furnished with acicular
spines; interimUy it is glabrous, of a reddish cinnamon-brown, and is distinctly
and longitudinally striate; the inner spathes are also coriaceous, linear, elongate,
protruding gradually about 2 cm. one above the other; externally rusty
furfuraceous, acuminate, and with a few acicular sub-bristly spines at their apex;
internally similar to the outer spathe. The flowering panicle is about 40 em.
long, very slender and strict, with 5 small erect, very slender, appressod,
cupressiform, partial inflorescences; the main axis is cylindraceous, glabrous,
and very slender, marked by depressions caused by the flowers; the largest partial
ir.Sorescenoes are 8-9 cm. long and have a few small branchlets which bear a-
D. maeropterus.'] BÎÎCCABI. THE SPECIES OP DAEMONOBOPS. 99
very few unequal spikelots of but few flowers each; the largest spikelets—thtí
lower ones—aro 8-10 mm. long, and have o^ly 6-8 irregularly set flowers;
their axis is extremely slender and capillary ; spathols inconspicuous ; involucre
Tory small, discoid, orbicular. Male flowers small, 4-5 mm. long, asymmetrically
subtrigonous-lanceolate, acuminate; calyx very small, deeply 3-dentate ; petals
lanceolate, sinuous, acuminate, several times longer than the calyx; stamens longer
than the coroll«, anthers basifixed, linear-sagittate ; pollen yellow, like sulphur powder.
Female spadiz elongate, rather slender, cuprebsiform ; the panicle in one specimen
is 65 cm. long (without the pedicellar part) and bears 6-7 partial inflorescences;
tho axis is rigid, somewhat flattened, 7-8 mm, broad at its base; the partial
inflore.-cences are erect, appresaed to the axis, 6-10 cm. apart and each
15-20 cm. long with 8-10 sinkelets that are somewhat iiregularly distichous;
secondary spathes very short, reduced to a very Jiarrow membranous ring, acute
or acuminate at one side; spikelets erect, slender, 6-8 cm. long, conspicuously rnstyfurfuraceous
; their axis angular, slender, sinuous; spathels vory shortly annular;
involucrophovum elongate, pedicellifbrm, '¿-5 mm, long, trigonous, with a very short
limb; involucre very slightly raised above the involucrophorum and having a very
rudimenta: ry annular hiub surrounding the relatively large and convex disk upon
which the female flower rests ; tho areola of the neuter flower is niclie-like and
•elongate. Fruiung perianth very broadly obconical; the calyx has 3 broadly
triangular, acute toeth ; the segments of the corolla are also very broadly triangular,
•callous and smooth at their base, otherwise strongly, etriately veined. Fruit ellipsoidal,
2 cm. long, 15 mm, broad, shortly conically beaked, crowned with the remains of the
3 small stigmas; scales arranged in 15-16 longitudinal series, of a shining light
greenish-yellow or straw colour, narrowly but deeply channelled along the centre
otherwise convex; the margins very narrow, and, like the blunt point, slightly darker
and dull. Seed ovoid, with a flattish base, more convex on the outer than on the
raphal side; tho chalazal fovea remains almost in the centre of the raphal side
forming a cylindrical pit that punetrates to the centre of the albumen; the latter
bony and ruminate with very narrow black channels.
HABITAT.—Menado in Celebes {RcideL). Vernacular name "Angah"
OBSI'IRVATIONS.—Of this species 1 have seen the authentic specimen in the
Herbarium of Biiitenzorg and a portion of it in that of Utrecht, Moreover
I have received, from the Botanic Garden of Buitenzcrg, a male spadix and a
leaf of a plant cultivated there under the name of " Calamus macropt'-rut
M i q . - A n g a h - M e n a d o " , which almost certainly has the same origin as the
specimen upon which Miquel founded the species. I must observe, however
that the portions of the leaves which in the Herbaria of Buitenzorg and Utrecht accom
pany the fruits of D. maeropterus, and correspond to the description of Miquel. are
quite different from those of the male plant cultivated at Buitenzorg under that namo
and appaienily belong to another species. '
It is therefore safe to consider D. maeropterus as founded only on the fruiting
specimen doscribod above, and reproduced in Plate 37, and to wait for further evidence
•as to conspecificity of the male plant of which I have also given the "
ANN. KOT. BOT. GAI