THE SPATHES. 19 
as €. Rotang, which certainly is not endowed with the peculiarity, By a super- 
ficial- observer every Calamus might be supposed to be moneecious, since in the 
female spadices every female flower is accompanied by another which, though sterile; 
frequently has all the appearance of being a male. Every Calamus has the true 
fertile male flowers brought together on a separate plant, and only very exceptionally 
some male spikelets may be found on a female spadix; all Calami are therefore 
essentially dicecious and every plant produces only spadices of one sex. 
-E have never chanced to find on the male spadix any trace of female flowers. 
The appendages, more or less obviously of foliar nature, which clothe the axial 
parts of the spadices, are called ‘“‘spathes.” Those spathes that are inserted on the 
main axis and are visible even before the partial inflorescences emerge from them 
are the “primary spathes.” The spathes of the inflorescence are termed ^ secondary” 
or ‘tertiary ” according to the degree of division of the axial part on which they 
are inserted. 
XII.— The Spathes. 
Monk commonly he spathes of Calami are tubular, do not completely envelope 
the flowers, and form superposed tubular sheaths to the axial part of the spadix. 
When the spadix is very young the primary spathes are enclosed one within the 
other, and gradually diminish in size from its base to its apex. 
In a few species of the group to which C. platyspathus belongs, the primary 
spathes approach those of a Daemonorops, being at first tubular and completely en- 
closing the partial inflorescences with their flowers, but at flowering time bursting 
longitudinally so as to expand their limb into an elongated flat laminar blade with 
only a small tubular portion at its base; the partial inflorescences are then at 
liberty to expand their flower—bearing branches. Spathes of this kind somewhat 
resemble those of Daemonorops longispathus with this difference that those of the 
Calamus just mentioned give greater evidence of their origin from a tubular pattern. 
The most aberrant primary spathes among Culami are those of C. hypoleucus, 
which are cymbiform and resemble those of a Daemonorops of the section Cymbo- 
spatha. All spathes of typical Calami of the flagelliferous groups are much elongated, 
while those species that have broad and short panicled spadices have shorter spathes : 
in both cases, however, they are always tubular and most commonly strictly and 
closely sheathing ; less frequently the primary spathes, though tubular, are loose, 
enlarged in their upper part or earshaped, The primary and to a less marked 
degree the secondary spathes are of a rather firm structure, more or less thinly 
coriaceous or even almost woody ; very commonly entire and truncate at the mouth 
and prolonged at the apex into a short limb; not infrequently their upper portion 
becomes decayed or, as in C. erectus, even lacerated and reduced to filaments. 
‘The mouth of the spathes is often provided with cilia, elongated scales or 
paleolæ which are of a more or less fugacious character. | ' 
The length of the primary spathes usually corresponds to the distance interven- 
ing between two partial inflorescences ; similarly the length of the secondary spathes- 
corresponds to the distance intervening between the insertion of the spikelets in the 
simply decompound — "—— a russe 
decompound. | 
Ann. Roy. Bor. Garp. CarcurrA Vor. XI. 
