152 ANNILS OF THK ROYAL BOTANIC GARDKN, CALCUTRA. ID. Kunstlerif
side-faces soon utiite to form an acute, smootli, salient angle; leaflets uumeroas^
etiuidistant, 2'0-3 cm. apart, 30-10 cm long, U-lo mm. broad, gradually
shorter towards the upjjer end, papyraceous, rigidalous, green and concolorous on both
surfaces, linear-ensiforiii, broadest a. Uctle above the base and thmice very gradually
acuminate to a subulate tip, tricostulace and plicutc-striate, on the upper surface
the mid-uosta slender but very sharp, glabrous or with only a few straggling bristles
near the apox; on each sidw of the mid-costa runs a slender secondary nerve
bristly from near tbe base and -stronger than a few others of the same kind;
transverse veinlets very numerous, approximate and short; margins very minutely
and approssedly spinulous. Mule apahz Female spadiz before flowering
eloiigate-cyliudracDOUs, erect, as thick as a man's fin^'er, 50-55 cm. iong (including a
peduiicular part 18-20 c^n. in length) arched and nodding when in fruit, covered in
every part, bui specially on the spathes, witb a very soft, rusty, easily removable,
and in the eud deciduous, fuvfaraceous tomentum; the peduncular part is subterete,
very slightly flattened, subclavate, and gradually passes into the outer spathe, is
very dciisoly armed with veiy unequal, small, fascicled or .-ieriate, divergent, deflexed
spines; primary sputhes thickly ooriaoeous, oblong, bideutate at the apes; the
inner protruding each considerably beyond the one immediately below; the outer,
most armed, especially along two dorsal obsoleto keels, with a line of small straightdefltixed
spines; the second spathe has a few spines along the centre of the dorsum ;
all the others are nnannod; the spines of the apathes and of the peduncular part
are like those of the leaf-sheaths, of a greyish-brown colour, and have a conspicuoas
light-coloured swelling at their buse; the panicle is formed by 6-7 partial
inflorescences, and when in flower is fasligiate-cupressiform, when in fruit loosely
ovate; the axial parts are covered with a thin, more or less persistent, furfuraceous
indumentum; the main axis has the lower internodes cylindraoeous or slightly
clafate, 3-4 cm. long, 4-5 mm. in diameter; the other internodes slightly and
unequally flattened; secondary and tertiary spathes very small, annular, scarious, very
slightly produced at one side; partial inflorescences erect-spreading with a distinct axillary
callus; they are 10-12 cm. long and have 4-5 bifariously spreading spikelets on each
side; their main axis is rigid, acutely angular; the lower largest spikelets are 6-7 era,
long and have 6-7 hifarious flowers on each side; the upper are somewhat shorter,
and have fewer flowers; their axes are sinuous, angular; spatbels annular, very
short, scarious, very slightly produced at one side into an acute point; involuoro-
" phorum distinctly pedicelliform, 2-5 mm. long, callous at its axilla, angular, taperinsr
slightly towards the base, flat and truncate at the upper end, almost without a limb;
involucre on a level with the involucrophornm, flat, discoid, orbicular, also with
no distinct limb; areola of the neuter flower obsolete. Female flowers 6 mm.
long, very narrowly trigonous-pyramid ate, acuminate, with a flat base; the
calyx shortly cupular, with 3 very superficial teeth; the corolla about 5 times
as long as the calyx, divided ahiiost halfway down into 3 triangular,
acutely pointed segments. l^mter Jlowers either inconspicuous or altogether
absent. Fruiting perianth very broadly obconical and therefore very shortly
pedicelhform. Fruit exactly spherical or sometimes slightly depressed, lf>-17 mm.
in diameter, beaked mammillate at the apex; scale.'s arranged in 18 longitudinal
series, very narrowly grooved along the centre, of a uniform haaei-nut-browii colour, with
very narrow, lighter coloured, scarious. almost entire margins, rhomboidal, broader than
D. vagan8\ 3E00AEI. THE SPECIES OP DAEILONOROPS. 153
long, not at all produced at the apex. Seed globular, minutely tubercled, 11-12 mm.
in diameter; albumen with numerous narrow channels penetrating almost to the centre ;
embryo basal.
HABITAT,—The Malayan Peninsula : on. Gunong Tambang Batak in the district of
Fcrak {Senrtechini No. 662*^ in Herb. Beocari); on the hills of the same district {King's
collector, No. 10204 in Herb. Calcutt.),
OBSERVITIONS.—It is Certainly closely related to D. vagans, but the latter is a scandenfc
plant, whereas D. KunstWii appears to be erect, has the leaf-sheaths armed with
individually distinct although seriate spines, and split open on tho ventral side in their
upper parts, which gradually pass into the petiole without the gibbosity so characteristic
of the scandent species. In D. vagans the leaf-sheaths are obliquely truncate at
the mouth, and are armed with confluent spines, which form several membranous
transverse spinuliforous crests. The fruit of D. Kunstlerii is slightly larger than that of D.
vagans, and has 18 longitudinal series of scales instead of 15; the leaflets are longer
and comparatively uaiTower in D. Kimstlerii than in D. vagans.
I have desciibed Scortechini's specimens, which have a female spadix not yet
open and another with quite mature fruit. In the Calcutta specimens the fruit is
immature, and is therefore smaller and narrows more gradually to the beak; the leaflets
are also larger, as nmch as 55 cm. long, and 23-24 mm. broad, but otherwise identical
with those of Scortechini's specimen. In the flowering female spadix I have heen unable
to discover any trace of a neuter flower; also in the spikelets, when hearing the
fruits, the areola of the neuter flower is quite obsolete.
Ridley (1- c.") wrongly reduces D. Kunstlerii to D. elongatus Bl.
PLATE 61.—Daemonorops Kunstlerii Becc. Female spadix in flower; ujjper portion
of the stem with an entire spadix in fruit; one seed entire and the two halves of
one longitudinally cut through the embryo. From Scortechini's No. 652° in Herb,
Beccari.
DAHMONOROPS VAGANS Becc.
Surv, Ind, ii, 226.
a Hook. f. Fl. Biit. Ind. vi, 469, and in Rec. Bot.
DESCBIPTIOS,—Scandent, rather slender, 4*5-8'5 m. high. Sheathed stem 17 mm
in diameter (in one specimen). Leaf-sheaths gibbous above, obliquely truncate at the
mouth, armed with numerous bristle-like, black spiculae, intermingled with flat
laminar, deflexed spines, united by their bases to form several transverse, interrupted,
and irregular crests; a few erecto-patent, long and strcng spines occur near the
mouth. Leaves elongate, 2-2-2 m, long including the petiole and cirrus ; petiole
rather elongate, slightly flattened-biconvex with very obtuse margins which are powerfully
aa'med, especially near their base, with robust, long, straight, slightly deflexed spines;
the dorsum is also armed near the base with deflexed opines; the rachi« in the upper
part of the leaf is acutely trigonous, beneath flat, and armed with rather strong 3-nate
and on the cirrus 5-nate claws; on the upper surface it has an acute, smooth, salient
ANN. RY. BOT. SAI , VL. S IL