154 ANNALS OP THB EOYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [D. uagans
angle, and flat side-faces; leaflets equidistftiit or nearly so, uot voiy apptosima-te
(about 4 cm. apart) green on both surfaces, slightly paler beneath, papyraceous,
rigidulouB, linear-lanceolato, broadest about the middle or a little below, tapering
thence towards the base and gi-adually acuminate above to a subulate and bristly
tip, the latter having a rather distinct indentation (marked by a small tuft of bristles)
on the lower margin, not far from the apex ; the leaflets are sub-tricostulate
above, witti an acute mid-costa, spiaulous near the apex only, and one
secondary nerve on each side of it, stronger than the others, and sprinkled with
short blackish bristles ; on the under surface the mid-costa alone has short
bristles near the apex ; transverse veinlets very miuute and (innumerable, short
and much interrupted, almost equally visible on both surfaces ; margins acute, very
minutely and very appvessedly spinulous ; the largest leaflets of the upper part of
the pl^nt are 30 cm. long, 15 mm. broad, those naarest the cirrus are shorter and
less acuminate. Male spadix Fruiting spadiz nodding, rather slender and diSuse,
35 cm. long (in one specimen), supported by a slender, slightly flattened, peduncular
part of the same breadth throughout and armed all round with irregular whorls of
black spicalae and flat confluent spines ; primary spatlies deciduous, not seen by
me i axial part of the spadix covered with a very thin adiiereut rusty-brown
iudumeutum ; the main axis is rather slender, slightly flattened and bears a few erectopatent
partial inflorescences (3 in one specimen) ; these have a distinct axillary callus,
are 8-10 cm. long, and carry 3-1 spikelets on each side ; their axis is slightly
sinuous and acutely trigonous ; spikelets spreading, or almost horizontal, with a distinct
axillarv callus ; the largest are about 3 cm. long and have 3-4 subregularly set
bifarious flowers on each side ; their axis is sinuous, rathor slender and trigonous ;
spathels very shortly annular, extended at one aide into a short, broad, triangular,
acute point ; involucrophorum shortly pedicelliform, obconical, subtrigonous, tapering
towards the base, about 2 mm. long, spreading, callous at its axilla, truncate at the
upper end and almost without a limb ; involucre quite on a level with the involucrophorum,
flat, discoid, orbicular, also without a distinct limb ; areola of the neuter
flower inconspicuous, iruilinq perianth very broadly obconioal, very shortly pedicelliform.
Fndi spherical, 14-15 mm. in diameter; very shortly umbonate-mammillate ; scales
in 15 longitudinal series, sharply and narrowly channelled along the middle, regularly
rhomboidal, of a uniform hazel-nut-brown colour, with slightly paler, almost entire,
very acute margin, the point sometimes slightly produced but always obtuse. Seed
somewhat irregularly globular, minutely tubercled, about 1 cm. in dian
HABITAT—The Malayan Peninsula at Larut in the district of Perak in open Jungle
on the top of the mountains between 1200-1900 m. elevation, Kinfs collector,
(No. 4129 in Herb. Calcutt.). Also in Borneo on the summit of Mount Foe at
1,300 m. elevation, Foxwortky, May 1908 (No. 223 in Herb. Manilla).
OBSEEVATIONS~It is extremely like D. Kmstlerii, but that is an erect not a
.climbing species. See observations on D. Kunstlerii. The specimen collected by Foxworthy
in Borneo, on the summit of Mount Foe, agrees fairly well with the type of
D. vagans of the Calcutta Herbarium, only it is more slender, the sheathed stem being
only 12 mm. in diameter. It has however the same kind of spinescenee. The single
leaf present has the leaflets somewhat inequidistant and shagreened even more than in
D. depressiusnulus] BECCAUI, THE SPECIES OF DAEMO.VOROPS. 155
the type, by tlie iimumerable small and short transverse veinlets. The fruit is spherical,
15-16 mm. in diameter, with the scales of a uniform cinnamon-brown "colour.
PLATW 68.—Daemon or ops vagans Beca. Upper end of a Ic
portion of a leaf-sheath with the base of a] petiole and 1
From No. 4129 in Herb. Calcutt.
f fundor surface) ; upper
I entire fruiting spadix.
59. DAKMONOEOPS DEPRÏISSIUGCULÛS Becc. in Ree. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii,
Calamus \depre8siusculus] Teijsi
only).
and Bimi. in Cat. Hort. Bog. (1886), 74 (name
Calamus (Sect. Daemonorops) depressiuscuhs Miq. de Palmis, 29 ( only) ;
H.| Wendl. in Kerch. Palm. 236.
DESCKIPTION.—Scandent, of moderate or even rather large size,
cm. in diameter. Leaf-sheaths gibbous above, densely armed with thin, laminar, very
unequal spines, of which the largest are 3-4 mm. broad at the base and 2-3 cm.
long, while the smaller are needle-like or spiculiform, and disposed in interrupted
transverse approximate series; the mouth is armed with straight erect spines,
narrower and considerably longer than the larger ones on the body (10-15 cm.
long, and 2-4 mm. broad at their base); the surface of the young sheaths and also
tho spines, especially on their edges, are covered with a dense rusty-furfuraceous
scurf. Leaves large, 1'8 m. long in the pinniferous part, and terminating in a long
and rather robust cirrus; the petiole is long and robust, 50-55 cm. long, equally
convex on both surfaces and with very obtuse edges that are armed throughout with
straight, horizontal, not very long spines; underneath the petiole is aknost smooth or
with a line of straight spines along the centre near tho base; its upper surface
is smooth or has a few scattered prickles; the rachis in its first portion is
convex above, smooth throughout and has a ratlier broad groove on each side for
the insertion of the leaflets, higher up the salient angle becomes gradually more
acute, and assumes flat side-faces; underneath the rachis is, at [first, armed with solitary
and ithon 3-nate and 5-nate claws, which on the cirrus at very regular intervals
become half-whorleii; leaflets very numerous, in one leaf 99 in all, equidistant (3-5
cm. apart) except towards the upper end, linear-ensiform, broadest below the middle,
tajiering thence towards tho base, and gradually acuminate above to a ,subulate, slightly
bristly tip, papyraceous, rigidulous, green and concolorous on both surfaces, S-costulato;
the mid-costa is slightly bristly spiculous above, but only near the apex;
tho side costulao are bristly from the middle upwards; on the lower surface the
mid-costa. only is sparingly bristly; transverse veinlets very minute and approximate;
margins very minutely and appressedly spinulous; the intermediate leaflets are 35-38
cm. long, 18-20 mm. broad; the lower are narrower; those towards the apex
becoming gradually smaller. Male spadix before flowering rigid, erect, slender, cylindraceous,
as thick as a i^man's finger, usually 40-50 cm.—in vigorous plants as
much as 80 cm.—long; primary spathes at first tubular and narrowly cornet-shaped, at
the upper end obHquely truncate and shortly and obtusely hidentate, each spathe projecting
considerably beyond the one immediately below; after the anthesis the outer-
. ROT. BOT. GARD., OALCUITA, VOL. S U .