178 ANNALS OF THE ROr.iL BOTANIC GARDEif, CALCUTTA. [D. pseudo-mirabi/is
slender cirrus; the petiole alone is 35-iO em. long, 7-8 mm. broad, somewhat
flattened-bicoDvex, polished, with very obtuse edges, smooth on the upper surface,
armed at the base and on the back with a few horizontal, spicuUferous crests,
a n d along the margias, and along the centre of the dorsum with blackt
i p p e d solitary claws; the petiole dimiaishes abruptly in thickness, and passes
i n t o the raehia just at the insertion of the lowest leaflets; the rachis, on. tho upper
surfaco, is smooth, and has an acute salient angle, with flat side-faces, aurl is
armed on the back with, at first, solitary, but, higher up, 3-nate, 5-nate, and
finally, but especially on the cirrus, half-whoi-led claws; leaflets very few, 10-15
i n all, disposed in 3-4 groups, with long vacant spaces intei-posed; tho lowest group
is the largest and has 6 - 7 leaflets which aro very approximate by their bases, point
i n different directions, and are larger chan those of the upper groups; the other
groups are composed of only 2 - 4 leaflets, 2-5 cm. apart ; the leaflets are
papyraceous, green and subconcolorous on both surfaces, narrowly lanceolate or
elliptical-lanceolate, broadest about their middle, and thence tapering to a rather acute
base, and diminishing above to a subulate and bristly t i p ; they are subtricostulate,
or with a slender mid-costa, and one secondary nerve on each side of it, stronger
t h a n the others, all 3 m i n u t e l y and sparingly spinulous on the under-surface; all
nerves v e r y slender and glabrous; transverse veinleta very numerous a n d approximate,
v e r y slender but rather sharp oq both surfaces ; margius closely and very minutely
spinulous. Male spadix Female spadix ioims a rather long, loose and nodding
panicle when in' fruit, 80—85 cm. long, with 6—7 partial inflorescences borne on
a very short (4 cm. long, 1 cm. broad), flattened, smooth, obtusely two-edged,
peduncular part; the two first internodes of the main axis slightly flattened
a n d slightly clavate, 4-5 cm. long, the other internodes more elongate,
obsoletely angular and distinctly marked by the depressions left by the a d j o i n i ng
p a r t s during prefloration; p r i m a r y spatbes , t h e lower partial inflorescences very
loose, 15-18 cm. long, with only 4-5 bifarious spikelets on each side; the upper
p a r t i a l inflorescences somewhat shorter and with fewer spikelets; their axes acutely
a n g u l a r ; secondary and t e r t i a r y spathes very small, very shortly annular-ampleotent,
e x t e n d e d ! on one side into a very small triangular acute point; spikelets slender
t h e lower 8 - 1 0 cm. long with 6-7 bifarious flowers on each side, the upper 6-7
em. ÍQ length and with proportionally few flowers; they are kept spreading
when in fruit by a distinct axillary callus, their axes are zigzag sinuous and very
a c u t e l y a n g u l a r ; spathes very shortly annular-amplectent, produced at one side into
a triangular point; involucrophorum padicelliform, 2 - 4 mm. long, distinctly callous at
i t s axilla, angular, slightly narrowing towards the base, truncate and very slightly
produced on one side at the upper e n d ; iavoluere slightly p r o t r u d i n g beyond the
inTolucropllorum, reduced to a v e r y narrow annular limb round the large circular
flat scar l e f t b y the fallen flower ; areola of the neuter flower small but distinct, at least
in the flowering period, concave, niche-like, with a non-swollen scar. Fr'iiting perianth
v e r y broadly obconical, and therefore very shortly pedicelliform. Fruü spherical,
v e r y shortly and abruptly couical-heaked, 14 mm. in diam. (only one seen by
m e ) ; scales arranged in 16 longitudinal series, strongly convex, distinctly grooved
along their centre.s, of a brown-yellowish colour and tinged with red, especially
y ; the margins lighter coloured, scarious, very finely erose; the tip obtuse.
D. pseudo-mitabiiis'] BECCAEL THE SPECIES OF DAEMONOEOPS.
H a b i t a t . — C u l t i v a t e d in the Botanic g a r d e n of Buitenzorg where it is said to
have been introduced f r om Palembang. Jtalay an name " Rotang Lela."
OjiSEEVATIOHs.-Very similar to D. miraUla, from which it differs in the rather
d i f f e r e n t disposition of tho collars around tho sheaths, if this can be t a k e n as a
t r u e and reliable character.
In D. mraiUa a or 6 large collars are immediately opposed to other collars
of equal breadth, and with these latter form complete closed circular ant-galleries;
but m O. p,e„do.mi,aUUs 6^7 large, reversed, membranous collars, which like small
petticoats, clothe at almost regular and short intervals . e v e r y leaf-sheath, are
t o much narrower collavs, and consequently the resulting galleries ai-o not ent:
closed by the membranous part of the collars, but by their decussating spicniae.
To D. pseBdoininUa would appear to belong a specimen forwarded to me by
Mr. H. N. Hidley under No. 351o, but I do not know if it w.is gathered on a
wild plant, or on one cultivated at Singapore in the botanical garden ; this specimen
consists of an intermediate portion of a leaf with two groups of leaflets, and of the
•erminal portion of a spadix with fnli grown fruits. The leaflets differ from those
of the specimen from Buitenzorg, described above, only in the nerves bein=- quite
smooth and bare on both surfaces ; tho spikelets i n t h e S i n g a p o r e specimen are slightly
shorter than in the other, while the f r u i t s a t e rather l a r g e r ; its. f r u i t s are 14-16 mm.
i n d i a m e t e r : the scales are of an u n i f o rm yellowish-brown colour; tho seed is enveloped
i n an abundant orustaceous (once fleshy) integument; divested of this it is
conspicuously flattened, laterally subroniform, U mm, long, 9 mm. broad, 6 mm
thick, rather minutely pitted, with a small round chalazil fovea almost in the centre
of t h e raphal side; albumen deeply r u m i n a t e d ; embryo basal.
P l a t e 7 4 . - D a e m o n o r o p s pseudo-mirabiiis Upper end of a f r u i t i n g s p a d i j -
i n t e r , i i e d i a t o portion of a leaf (nnder-surface). From Ridley's spochnen No. 3515 in
Herb. Beccari.
i-LATli 7 o , - D a e m o n o r o p s psoudo-mirabilis Beoe. Portion of the 'sheathed stem •
t h e upper end of a leaf; fruiting spadix: a small portion of a leaf-sheath splii
l o n g i t u d i n a l l y , showing on one of its edges the collars in section and tho spines
crossing each other. From a plant cultivated at Buitenzorg (Herb. Beccari).
70. Daeuohohops F o r b k s i i Becc. in Ree. Bot. Surv. I n d . ii 227.
P H O E I p n o s . - S c a n d e n t , slender. SImllud ,üm 10-12 mm. in d i a m e t e r . Leaf-Aeatb
cylindrical, ultimately glabrous, rather thin, easily splitting longitudinally s&htlv
gibbous above, f ™ i s h e d in their upper part with a large and complete, b r L d ly
membranous, reversed, light-eolonred collar, formed by the confluent bases of numerous
v e r y slender, hliform, bristly spiculae, of which some are as much as 4-5 c '
long, filiform, delicate, flexible, of a straw-yellow colour, and others, which alternate
with these, are shorter, criniform, black- and brittle; in opposition to this large
Ann. lioY. Bot. Gard., Calcutta, Vol. XII.