128 ASNALS OF THE UOYIL BOTiNIO GAUDEN. CALCQITA. [¿J- leptopUS
48. Dakmonorops leptopus Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm, iii, 206, ind edit., and 329
Miq. Fl. lud. Bat. iii, 99; Walp. Ann. iii, i79 and v, 828; Ridloy
Mat. Fl. Mab. Penins. ii, 182.
Calamus leptopus Griff, in Mad. Calc. Jouru. v, 73, and Palms. Brit. Ind.
82, pi. GOV., A. B.; H. Wendl. in Kerch. Palm. 235.
2>. congesta Ridley 1. c. p. 179.
Desosiption. High scandent, of moderate or rather large size. Sheathed stem 2-g
cm. in diam. Leaf-sheaths thick, woody, very hard, yellowi>h-bro\vti, glabrous find
almost polished, strongly gibbous above, truncate and almost spineless at the mouth,
variously armed according to the size of the plant; in middle-sized specimer.s such as
Griffith's typical ones, the spines are rigid, robust, light coloured and often blacktipped,
flat, subulate, 1-3 cm. long or more at times, but frequently much
smaller, occasionally solitary, but usually 3-6, being united by their bases,
palmate-digitate or forming small, reverted, interi-upted, and irregularly scattered
series; in very robust specimens the spines are as much as 4-5 cm. in length, and
when several are united together they form semi-annular, comb-like, oblique series; in
very small specimens the short pointed spines form small, digitate, scattered groups;,
in the sinus between two contiguous spines some very slender, setiform and more
oT less early deciduous spiculae are usually to be found. Leaves rather large,.
2-5-3'd m. in length, including the petiole and a robust terminal cirrus; the
petiole is 30—80 cm. long, very robust, rouuded beneath and there more or less:
armed along the centre with usually short, solitary, or :i-nate and defiexed spines; the
margins are also armed, with straight, horizontal, sometimes rather long, but more
frequently short, spines; on the upper surface the petiole is grooved at itsbase
only, thence flat-surfaced, higher up slishtly convex, with an obtuse salient
angle along the centre; usually the upper surface is smooth, but in very luxuriant
specimens it is sprinkled with small tuberculiform prickles near the base and on the
margins ; the rachis in its first portion is prickly at the sides, and is almost rectangular
in cross section, its side faces where the leaflets are inserted are broad and
flattish; higher up the rachis is bifaced, and has an acute, non-prickly salient
angle above; underneath it is roundish, and armed with robust 3-y-nate claws towards
the apex, and especially on the cirrus, forming half whorls that arc almost
regularly spaced 3-4 cm. apart; leaflets rather numerous, equidistant, alternate or
sub-opposite, not very approximate (3-7 cm, apart on each side), almost equally
green on both surfaces, rigidulous, narrowly lanceolate or Ianceolate-ensiform, broadest
not far from but always below the middle, diminishing thcnce towards the base, above
gradually acuminate to a very fine setiform and, at the sides, bristly tip; they
have a superficial, though rather distinct, bristly indentation on the lower margin neap
the apex; the upper surface is more or less plicate-striate, and there the mid-costa is
slender and bears near its apex a few bristly spinules; the side nerves are
slender and bald on both surfaces; underneath the mid-costa has at times a few
scattered bristles near the apex ; transverse veinlets very faint, numerous, disposed in
oblique auastamosing lines ; margins finely, appressedly and rather remotely spinulous,
and at the apex spreadingly bristly-ciliate ; the largest leaflets are 40-50 cm. long,.
3 cm. broad, the uppermost shorter, and those nearest the petiole narrower.
D. leptopus] BEC04EI. THE SPECIES OF D.iEMOiJOKOPS. 129
Spadiccs spuriously axillary; before the anthesis they aro elongate-cylindraceous,
0-8—1'2 m. in length, as thick as a finger or a little more; after flowering, nodding
or recurved ; primary spathes at first cylindraceous, when open almost flat or
slightly concave, imbricate, narrowly lanceolate, 20—40 em. long, 2-Ô mm. in width in
their broadest part (about the middle], thence almost equally tapering towards both
ends, acute or obtuse or shortly bidentate at the upper end, very thickly
coriaceous or almost woody, of a cinnamon colour when dry, very thinly and
fugaciously rusty-fufuraceous on both surfaces, but after tlieir expansion glabrous
and glossy inside ; the outermost somewhat broader but not longer ihan the others,
•more or less distinctly two-koeled on the back, and armed, on the keels only, with
short, straight, ascendcnt, horizontal or, at times, slightly deflexed, solitary, or
palmate-digitate spines; inner spathes unarmed, gradually protruding beyond the one
Îmmediatiily below ; the spathes in the male spadix apparently persist during the
anthesis ; in the female spadix the outermost persist also during fruit-bearing ; the
peduncular part of the spadix is always elongate and varies from 20 to 45 cm. in
length, slender, slightly flattened, almost smooch, but at times strongly armed on
the edges, especially near the insertion of the outer spathe, with straight, often
fascicled, robust and divergent spines. Male spadix very slender, ultradecompound
with 5-7 rather distant (8-10 cm. apart), rather dense, cupressiform partial inflorescences;
the main axis is relatively slender, the internodes are 8-10 cm. long,
irregularly cylindraceous with depressions and swellings produced by the pressure
of the flowers dutiiig prefloration ; partial inflorescences erect, 8 ~ i 5 cm. long (shorter
towards tiie end), all a good deal shorter than their respective spathes, very
fugaciously rusty-furfuraceou.s in every part, each divided into 8-10 alternate,
slender, slightly sinuous branches, which cany .5-6 apikelets on each side; secondaiy
and tertiary spafhes obliquely truncate and glabrous at the mouth, prolonged at
one side into a triangular, very acute point; spikelets slender, the lower ones of
each branchlet the largest, L5-30 mm. long, and bearing about 6-10 almost unilaterally
set flowers; upper spikelets gradually shorter and with fewer flowers:
spathels asymmetrically and shortly infundibuliform, extended at one side into a
broadly triangular point; involucre enclosed within its spathel, semi-cupular, or of the
shape of a swallow's nest, deeply excavate and bidentate on the posticous ndo ; the
axis of the sijikelets are filiform, acutely trigonous, strongly indented, and bear
at the insertion of each flower the impression of its form. Male powers lineaioblong,
bluntish, about 5 mm. long, somewhat asymmetrical from mutual pressure!
erect and appressed against the axys; the calix cyathiform-obconical, with three acute
triiingular teeth; the corolla two and-a-half or three times as long as the calyx
divided down fths of its length into three narrow externally striate segmentsfilaments
of the stamens subulate, individually distinct, but united to the corolla in
their lower part, inflected at the apex; anthers versatile, elongate, the cells deeply
parted in their lower part; the rudiment of the ovary very small, divided into three
short, clavate papillae, not even reaching to the free portion of the filaments
Female spadix decompound, with the axial parts much more robust and thicker than
•in the male spadix and of a quite different appearance; partial inflorescences 5-7
glabrous or fugaciously scaly-furfuraceous, a good deal shorter than their respective
spathes ; their axes and those of the spikelets are acutely trigonous, and bear 4 6
spikelets on each Side; the spikelets are unilateral and, together with their flowers
Amn. Rot. Bot. Gard., Oau
i