1 5 8 INNALS OP THE BOTAL BOTAKIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA, , FI. GAUDLOHAUDIT
40 cm. long (including a pedicellar part about 6 era. in length,) and armed with
black, ueedlo-liko spines; the flowering panicle very slsnder and strict, its main
axis sabterete and as thick as a pack-thread; partial inflorescences about 6, appressed
t o the main axis, narrowly fastigiate-cupressiform, 6-7 cm. long, and formed by 8-10
brauchlefsj secondary spathes very small, scale-like, extended at one aide into an erect,,
triangular, acute point; the branchlets hare 8-10 spikelets that are fastigiato and
g r a d u a l l y shorten ; the lowest spikelets are the largest, 7-8 mm. long and have 4-5
unilater.illy set flowers in all; the other spikelets aro g r a d u a l l y shorter and have fewer
flowers; their axis is very slender, filiform, indented at the insertion of each flower;
spatliels very small, extended at one side into a small, amplectenc, subinfundibuliform
t r i a n g u l a r , acute point; involucre formed by two very small, triangular, acute, opposite,
scale-like bracts. Female apadix strict, paaiculate-cupressiform when in flower, nodding
or recm-ved when in fruit, 40-70 cm. long including the peduncular part (cliat not
covered by the outermost spathe) which is rather sleuder, very variable in length
( 6 - 2 0 cm.), densely armed with very slender, elastic, needle-like, black spiues, which,
are more or less grouped on a callous base; primary spathss deciduous, the outermost
more persistent than the others, slightly coneave-cymbiform, narrowly lanceolate,
g r a d u a l l y and almost equally attenuate towards both ends, coriaceous, polished, striate
and of a cinnamon colour inside, externally obsoletely two-keelecl and armed with long,
black, subulate, elastic, usually solitary spines which rest on a pale bulbous base; the
axis and branches are covered with a thin removable rusty-furfuraceous indumentum!
the partial inflorescences are 5-8, erect and appressed to tho main axis; the lower have
4 - 6 distichous sjnkelets on each side; the upper are somewhat shorter and have fewer
s p i k e l e t s ; secondary spathes very small, consisting of a short, membranous, entire and, at
one side, acute ring; spikelets in the f r u i t i n g spadix inserted at an angle of 45°, with a
distinct axillary callus; the lower spikelets of each inflorescence are 3-5 cm. long, and
have 0-6 bifarious flowers on each side; the upper are somewhat shorter and liave
fewer flowers; spathels very small, sc.ile-Iike, amplectent, extended at one side into
a small broad triangular point; involucrophorum callous at its axilla, thick,
obsoletely angular, spreading, slightly obconical, ¿-4 mm. long; involucre shortly
pcdicelled or at least slightly protruding beyond the involucrophorum, disciform
above and bordered by a very narrow, annulai r i n g ; areola of the neuter flower
concave, niche-like, with a punctiform, non-swollon soar. Fridtlnq perianth oxplanate.
Female Jlowers 7 mm. long, narrowly trigonous-pyramidato, acuminate, calyx small
shortly cupular, 2 mm. long, truncate, margin very shallowly 3-toothed, furfuraceous •
corolla strongly etriately-veined, divided down past the middle into 3 triangular,
lanceolate segnients, about 4 times as long as the calyx. Fruit (when quit©
mature) globular, frequently more or less depressed, very shortly mucronatemammillate,
15-17 mm. in diameter; scales arranged in 15 longitudinal series, shining,
convex, narrowly a a J deeply grooved along the centre, groenish-brown when fresh
(have apparently become darker with time in the herbaria), with a narrow Scarious
s l i g h t ly rubigiuous and very appressed margin, and an obtuse tip. Seed minutely
tubercled, subglobular, somewhat depressed, length and breadth the same, 10-14 mm
and about S mm. through, flattish or slightly gibbous, or even at times subcarinate
on tho raphal side, which is marked about the centre with the chalazal fovea
represented by a short and narrow opening penetrating rather deeply into the
albumen; albumen deeply ruminated; embryo situated almost in t h e centre of the-
D. Gaudichaudn] BECCARI. THE SPECIES OF DAEMONOKOPS. 1O9
side opposite to the raphe, and therefore in opposition to the chalazal fovea and
not at tho base of tho seed.
HABITAT.—The Philippines, where it is apparently A common plant. It was
first collected at Manilla by Gaudichaud in November 1836 (Herb. Paris.) and
a f t e r w a r d s by many others. In Luzon: Unisan, Province of T&jshaa {Vidal No. 932
in Herb. Kew. and No. 4063 in Herb. Beccari); Cardona, District of Moron {Vidal
No. 1941 in Herb. Kew.): in Antipolo, Province of Eizal {Merrill No. 164!);
Dinalupihan, Province of Bootaan {Merrill No. 1669 in Herb. Berol.); Lamao Eivcr,
Mt. Mariveles {Whitford No. 289 in Herb. .Manill.); Sampalos '^Warburg No. 367 in
Herb. Berol.)—in this spscimen the fruit often contains two plano-convex seeds;
Camiguin Island of the Babuyanes group, {E. Fenix No. 4066, Herb. Manill.); Mindanao,
Province of Surigao, {T. H. Bolster No. 353, Herb. Manill.); Mindoro : {M. L. Merrill
J a n . 1907, No. 6213 and Whitford, Herb. Manill. No. 1371); Bongabong River|
{M. L. Merrill, March 1906, No. 3741, Herb. Manill.); Calapan {L. Manguhat, June
1906, No. 948 Herb. Manill.).
OBSERVATIONS.—I have reduced Calamus usitatus of Blanco to Daemonorops
Qaiidichaudii more by exclusion than by the vague characters assigned to it by
•that author. In fact I consider C. usitatus to be a Daemonorops chiefly by reason
of the character Blanco gives of its calyx "persistente de seis piezas, las tres
exteriores mas grandes.'' No doubt that by " calyx " Blanco really means the perianth
and the assertion that the a " e x t e r n a l " parts of it are larger than the internal may
be a slip for the reverse. Now there are no Calami that have tho corolla of t h e female
flowers much larger than the calyx. The globular' and apparently large fruit (as it
is said that the involucre of its seed is edible) and its frequency near Manilla
whence no other species of Daemonorops is known, are the reasons which have
induced me to identifj' C. usitatus with D. Gaudichaudii.
D. Gaudichaudii and D. fuseus certainly represent the same species, for this
latter name has been assigned to the specimens bearing mature f r u i t , while the
«ame plant having the spadices charged vrlth ovaries only in com'se of
has been named D. Gaudichaudii. I have seen in the Paris Herbarium the'
specimen of D. fuseus, consisting of a male spadix without the spathes, and
another spadix which still retains 2-3 mature fruits in bad condition; these
specimens bear the label " V o y a g e de M. G-audichaud sur la Bonite, 1836-37-Manile,
Novembre 1836". On the same sheet, without a special label is fastened the typical
f o rm of D. Gaudichaudii, on one side of which Martius has written " sit, ut nomen
h a b e a t : D. Gau(^ichaiidii".
Another Bpecimen of a female spadix in flower of D. fuscus has also a label
like that of D. Gaudichaudii, and Martius has written upon it ^'Daemonorops e serie
Cymbospathai-um " and then " v . Soienospatharum " ; this has been crossed out and
"orthostichas 17-18. Sit D. fuscus Mart,! Cal. quam cor. 4-plo brevior" substituted.
Vidal's No. 4063, offers a proof of the conspecificity of D. fuscus and
D. Oaudichavdii, as one branch, with very young fruit, corresponds to the latter and
another, with mature fruit, to the former.