C. rudentum | BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 141 
often split upwards; spikelets not pedicellate, inserted at the mouth of their own spathe, 
arched downwards, ihe largest, the lowest, 20-25 cm. long with 20-25 flowers on 
each side, those of the upper and more slender branches not more than 7-8 em. in 
length with proportionally fewer flowers; spathels asymmetrically infundibuliform, 
truncate, entire, apiculate at one side; involucrophorum half-projecting from its own 
spathel and obliquely attached at the base of the one above, dimidiately cupular, 
two-keeled, emarginate and two-toothed on the side next to the axis; involucre not 
or slightly exceeding the involucrophorum, cupular, rather shallow, entire, superficially 
emarginate on the side of the neuter flower of which the areola is depressedly 
lunate. Female flowers inserted at an angle of 45°, ovate, 6 mm. long; the calyx 
divided more than halfway down into three, ovate, rather thick, somewhat obtuse 
lobes; corolla divided almost to the base into three, ovate-lanceolate, acute, striate 
segments a little longer than the calyx; stamens forming by the united bases of 
their filaments a cup which. reaches to the middle of the corolla and is crowned 
by six, triangular, elongate and subulate teeth; fertilized ovaries subovoid, suddenly 
narrowed into a conic beak; scales in 12 series, shining, not channelled along 
the middle, straw-coloured, with a darker intramarginal line and ciliolate fim- 
briate margin, especially near the tip. Fruit not seen ripe; in the very young 
fruit the perianth is already split and not pedicelliform. 
Hasitat.—Cochin-China (Loureiro). Rediscovered by Pierre at Dian-lau-me in 
the province of Bien-hoa in Lower Cochin-China (Herb, Pierre No, 4846); also 
near Tan Kiyen on the River Dong-nai (No. 4845) and near Mount Pong-lu in 
the province of Binh-Thuan. 
According to Pierre the Annamite and Moi name for this Calamus is “ Ke- 
wang.” No. 4845 bears that of “ May-chia-wang,” which has some resemblance with 
that of “ May saong”? assigned by Loureiro. 
The Rotang produced by this Calamus is of a good quality and much used by 
the natives for cables. Loureiro writes also of the uses of this species: Pro- 
navium rudentibus; ad magna onera trahenda, ad elephanthos indomitos coercendos 
et allizandos." 
OssERVATIONS.— This species appears to be closely allied to C. dongtsetus, from 
which however it is certainly distinct by the much smaller male flowers, thinner 
female spikelets and much narrower leaflets. It appears to me that we can 
recognize in the specimens of Pierre, Nos. 4845, 4846, the C. rudentum of Loureiro, 
not so much from the characters given by this author, which are quite insufficient 
for the recognition of any species of Calamus, as from the general notes. Loureiro 
assigns to C, rudeníum the extraordinary length of 500 feet, but this is certainly 
an exaggeration. 
This species seems rather variable, and amongst the specimens of Pierre those 
bearing the No. 4845 differ somewhat from the others, and have the leaflets more 
crowded towards the apex, shorter, broader (34-50 by 2:5 cm.) and less acuminate 
than in No. 4846; the rachis bears the impressions of the spines, which at least 
in the apical biton are ternate, the mesial 3 cm. long, the longest, Straight, 
flat, narrow, yellowish with black tiv. Some spikelets, mainly those near the apex, 
