Aug. 25, 1919] 



Palms of the Philippine Islands 



3057 



Calamus Merrillii Becc. in Webbia i, 347, 1905. 



Field-note for 11885: — Scandent upon lofty trees; old 

 stems 2.5 inches thick, hard, green or occasionally 

 glaucescently green, the sheathed portion nearly 4 inches 

 through; leaves divaricate or slightly ascending and 

 recurved, alternatingly 1 foot apart, 10 feet long, termina- 

 ted into a subpendant powerfully clawed rachis one half 

 as long; leaflets descending, sublucid and similarly green 

 on both sides, both surfaces provided with scattered setae- 

 like spines, the midrib keeled on the upper surface 

 and with sloping sides, tough or not rigid, reduced to- 

 ward the apex; petiole proper 1.5 foot in length, glaucous 

 green beneath or on the sides toward the base, 2 in- 

 ches wide, concave above, convex below, smooth except 

 the spiny edges, the basal thick shoulder smooth; sheaths 

 covered with a dingy reddish white bloom or pulveruleuce, 

 especially spiny beneath the thick petiole bases; the 

 spines range from 0.25 to 3 inches in length, on an average 

 short below, longest along the ligulate top of the sheath; 

 infrutescence axillary, ascending and finally much recurved, 

 about 4 feet long, all the spathels dull green and spinescent; 

 branches alternating, 3 to 5 inches apart, the lower ones 

 2 feet long, gradually reduced toward the apex; the fruit 

 bearing branchlets 3 to 5 inches in length, ascendingly 

 curved as are also the secondary ones; fruits globose 

 or a trifle elongated, 0.5 inch long, pale green or whitish. 



Mindanao: Todaya (Mt. Apo). District of Davao, May 

 1909, number 11885. On a forested ridge at 3500 feet 

 altitude, on the Talon or southern sector of the mountain, in 

 moist fertile humus covered soil. "Acab-acab" in Bagobo. 

 Cabadbaran (Mt. Urdaneta), Province of Agusan, August 

 1912, number 13926. In rich damp soil of forested flats 

 among hemp fields along the Minusuang river at 500 

 feet altitude. A very coarse and practically worthless 

 rattan. The Manobo name is "Palasan." 



The Todaya plant represents an intermediate form 

 between the typical one from Luzon and the variety 

 Calamus Merrillii Merrittiamis Becc. of Mindoro. 



Calamus Merrillii nanga Becc. in 



Roy. Bot. Gard. Calc. xr, Suppl. 78 



As. Palms, Ann 

 t. 42. 



Field-note for 11874:— A coarse high tree climber; 

 old stem 3 inches thick, hard, green, smooth, leaf bearing 

 portion 5 inches thick; leaves alternating every foot or 

 more apart, divaricate or ascending below the middle, other- 

 wise recurved, 15 feet long, extended into as long and 



