10. Calamus.] 137. PALMACEM. 



(from the axil of each siDathe) pyramidal or thyrsiform, 6-9" long. 

 Lower branches 2-3" or longer and again branched, very slender with 

 closely appressed tubular spathes. Avith truncate mouth shortly 

 acuminate on one side, ultimate m. spikes (spikelets) very numerous, 

 erect, -S-'S", with adnate minutely cuspidate spathels and very 

 shallow or flat minutely 2- (laterally) lobed spathellules. Calyx 

 tubular -05" long with short ovate teeth, corolla •!", petals connate 

 one-third up, acute, filaments adnate below. Bracts on the female 

 spikes with more prominent cusps. Spathellules flat. Fruit globose 

 •3", scales yellowish -green with brown and scarious margins. 



Purneah ! Along streams in the hills, Mais of Orissa ! Fl. March-April. Fr. 

 Dec. 



Leaves very like those of tenuis (q.v.), Lflts. about 35 each side, margins 

 usually smooth or very slightly bristly-spinulose. The flagellum is prickly armed 

 throughout (cp. te7uus). 



Canes used for ropes, etc. 



11. D^MONOROPS, Blume. 

 Closely allied to Calamus (and included as a section of that genus 

 in Genera Plantarum a^ul Nat. Pflanz. Fam.), but spathes not tubular, 

 large, at first closed and outer completely enclosing the inner and 

 panicle, deciduous. Inflorescence more compact and the rhachis 

 never elongate or produced into a flagellum. Fem. flower with a 

 bracteolate pedicel. Leaf rhachis produced into a long flagellum. 



1. D. Jenkinsianus, Mart. Bet, bent, Vern. ; Cheka-bet (in the 



Duars). 



A large climbing cane with large pinnate leaves about 6 ft. long, ending 

 in a long armed flagellum with 3-o-fid claws. Leaflets 2 ft. by •6--75" 

 equidistant linear, finely acuminate, 3 costse sparsely setose above with 

 very long bristles, central only beneath, margins setulose, petiole and 

 rhachis at first furfuraceous with many hooked spines or claws beneath 

 and on margin. Outer spathe densely armed on the back with 

 acicular and flat often compound spines, over 1" broad, 2-keeled with 

 inflexed margins and a long spinescent beak, inner unarmed. Spadices 

 subaxillary with short stout prickly peduncle. Male spadix thyrsi- 

 form, dense, flowers deeply grooved. Fruit -7" {F.B.I., only -4" in 

 my specimen, perhaps not mature), marked with characteristic longi- 

 tudinal grooves passing through the centre of the scales which have 

 scarious margins and broad scarious tips. 



One of the commonest canes in the evergreen swamps of the Duars and Tarai ! 

 and probably extending into Purneah. fI. h.s. Fr. Dec-Jan. 



FAM. 138. CYPERACE^. 



Mostly perennial, grass-like herbs with sympodial rootstock, rarely 

 annual. Stems rarely with knots at the nodes,* usually 3-C£uetrous 

 and with the uppermost internode below the inflorescence usually 

 very long. Leaves or elongate and grass-like, often 3-farious,* with 

 closed, very rarelj^ open sheaths and ligule* insignificant or 0. Flowers 

 1-2-sexual, much reduced, solitary in the axils of close imbricating 



* Compare Graniinece. 



888 



