806 CXXXTIII. VALUJE. 



Very common in the evergreen forests of the Konkan and N. Kanara. — Distrib, 

 Tln-oiigliout tlio hotter parts of India; Ceylon, Tropical Asia, Malaya. 



The leaves give the Ktttul fibre, which is very strong and is made into ropes, brushes, 

 baskets, and other artic'es ; the fibre from the sheachiug petioles is made into ropes 

 and fisliing-lincs. The trees are tapped for toddy, whicli when boiled yields coarse 

 sugar ( Jac/f/cn/). The pith fnrnishes a good palatable sago, while the outer part of 

 the stem supplies a hard durable wood used for agricultural purposes and in general 

 use for field-tools. 



Tlie tree is known as the Hill-Palm or Sago-Palm ; sometimes called the Fish-tail 

 Palm. See Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. I.e. 



5. CALAMUS, Linn. 



Perennial, armed, usually scaiiclent tufted palms. Leaves alternate, 

 piunatisect ; leaflets acuminate ; nerves parallel ; rhachis often produced 

 as an armed flagellam ; sheath armed, produced into a ligule or ochrea 

 with or without a lateral armed flagellum. Flowers small, polygamo- 

 dioecious, in usually distichous often scorpioid spikelets, solitary or binate 

 (a female, a male, or both) in the axils of the bracteoles of axillary 

 usually much-elongate and much-branched spadices. Sj)athe tubular 

 or open, persistent, sheathing the peduncle and branches of the 

 spadix, and passing into bracts and bracteoles. Male plowees : Calyx 

 cupular, 3-toothed, Petals 8, acute, coriaceous, valvate. Stamens 6 ; 

 filaments short ; anthers dorsifixed. Pemale elowees slightly accres- 

 cent ; fruiting pedicelliform or explanate. Calyx tubular, 3-toothed. 

 Corolla tubular below, 3-hd ; lobes valvate. Staminodes connate into a 

 cup. Ovary incompletely 3-celled, clothed with retrorse scales ; ovules 

 basilar, erect ; style short or long ; stigmas 3. Pruit globose or ellip- 

 soid, beaked ; pericarp thin, clothed with appressed, deflexed, closely 

 imbricate scales. Seed subglobose or oblong, smooth or pitted ; albumen 

 uniform or ruminate ; embryo vertical or basal. — Disteib. India, Malay 

 Archipelago, S. China, N. Australia ; a few in Tropical Africa ; 

 species 160-170. 



An extensive climber ; stems slender , 1. C. pseudotentcis. 



Stems stout, erect 2. C. Thwaitesii. 



1. Calamus pseudotenuis, Becc. ex Hoolc /. Fl. B. 1. v. 6 (1892) 

 p. 445. Stem slender, extensively climbing ; sheaths set with many 

 unequal, straight, flat, very sharp spines reaching sometimes 1 in. long. 

 Leaves about 4 ft. long ; petioles 8 in. long, with a few solitary short 

 spreading spines ; rhachis not produced into a flagellum, armed with 

 slender flat spines, scurfy when young; flagellum of sheath very long, 

 slender, compressed below, thin, cylindric, and set with half rings of 

 deflexed hooked spines ; leaflets 50 or more, nearly equidistant, 8-15 by 

 |-1 in., linear-lanceolate, acuminate, thin, with setuloso margins; nerves 

 .'i-5. Male elowees: Spikes of the spadix long, slender, decurved. 

 Plowers usually 2-3 together, -j^-^ in. long, subglobose. Calyx cupular, 

 lobes acute. Petals sessile, short, polished. Pilaments very short. 

 Pemale flowehs : Spadix very long, slender ; branches distant, armed 

 \\\W\ short deflexed spines. Spathes flattened, the lower elongate, 

 tubular, 2-edged. Pruit ovoid, -j-^ in. in diam. ; beak stout, .j in. long, 

 conical ; scales 9-12 in a vertical row, rouiuled, dull-yellow \Aith brown 

 scarious margins. Trim. PI. Ceyl. v. 4, p. 33t» ; Talb. Trees, Bomb. ed. 2, 



