C. luridus.) BECCARI, MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS 243. 
C. opacus is closely related to C. Reinwardiu, but is distinct in. the not striate 
and tubular spathels and in the larger fruit; the leaflets are hardly distinguishable 
from those of C. Reinwardti. 
PLATE 79.—Calamus opacus Bl. Portion of the stem with leaf-bases and an 
entire flagellum; lower portion of a leaf. The above from a sterile specimen 
collected by me in Sumatra Upper portion of a leaf and an entire partial 
inflorescence with two mature fruits; a seed from the rapbal side. From an 
authentic specimen of Blume in the Leyden Herbarium. 
64. CaraMus LURIDUS Bece. in Hook. A. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 445 and in Ree. 
Bot Surv. Ind. ii, 206. 
DESCRIPTION. —Scandent, rather slender, of a dirty dark greenish-brown colour in 
the different parts when dry. Sheathed stem about 2 cm. in diam.  Leaf-sheaths dense- 
ly armed with unequal, flattened, rather short (1 cm. long), schistaceous, broad-based, 
spreading or slightly deflexed spines, which are solitary and scattered or somewhat 
approximate in horizontal lines.  Leaf-sheath flagella very long  (1'5-2 m.), very 
powerfully and densely clawed; the lowest spathe flattened, 2-edged and very 
prickly. Leaves not cirriferous, more than 1 m, in length ; petiole rather short 
(10-15 cm. long), flattish above, prickly at the margins and more or less also 
beneath; rachis sparsely armed beneath in its lower portion with many small 
scattered solitary claws, which are larger and confined only to along the middle in 
its upper portion where it is bifaced above; leaflets equidistant, remote (4-6 cm. 
apart), not very numerous, papyraceous, shining above, almost of the same colour on 
both surfaces, ensiform, gradually attenuate at the base, long-acuminate into a subulate 
bristly-ciliate apex, with 3 very distinct coste which are bristly-spinulous above, 
naked and less prominent beneath; the largest, the intermediate ones, 35-40 cm, 
long, 1:5-3:5 cm. broad; the upper ones somewhat shorter; the two of the terminal 
pair 20-25 em. long, shortly connate at the base and bristly-penicillate at the 
apex; margins very inconspicuously appressedly spinulous; transverse veinlets very 
fine, sinuous, interrupted. Male spadix. . . . . . Female spadiz more or less 
supradecompound (always ?) very long, flagelliform, with many remote monoecious 
(always ?), partial inflorescences, which have the spikelets with every female 
flower accompanied as usual by a neuter one in their lower part and only male 
flowers on the terminal spikelets or on some of the secondary ones; tue inflores- 
cences are pyramidate, arise erect from their spathe and then are spreading 
and arched, branched at the base and with simple spikelets in their upper 
part, and terminate in a spikelet (with male flowers) larger than the side 
ones; the largest inflorescences 30-40 cm, long, with 2-3 branchlets on each 
side near the base and 8-10’ simple spikelets (also on each side) upwards; upper 
primary spathes tubular-cylindraceous, very elongate, closely sheathing, strongly 
striately veined, longitudinally armed chiefly on the outer side with numerous scattered 
claws, naked at the mouth and prolonged at one side into a triangular acute 
point; secondary spathes elongate-infundibuliform, rather considerably narrowed to the 
base, ünely striately veined, longitudinally unarmed or furnished with 1-2 straggling 
prickles on the back, truncate, entire, and finely ciliolate (at least when young) at 
the mouth, prolonged at one side into an elongate, triangular, subulate tip which is 
Ann. Roy. Bor. Garp. Catcutta Vou. XI. 
