246 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. delicatulus. 
It approaches also C. luridus, but the form of the partial inflorescences is quite 
different. 
Prats 81.—Calamus sabensis Bece. The entire type specimen consisting of the 
basal portion of a leaf and of a portion of spadix with an entire partial inflorescence 
bearing almost mature fruit. 
66. CALAMUS DELICATULUS Thw. Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 330 and Addenda 431; Hook. f. 
Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 446; Bece. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 206. 
Description.—High scandent, slender or of moderate size. Sheathed stem 18-20 
mm. in diam. Leaf-sheaths flugelliferous, not or slightly gibbous above, armed with 
very many and very crowded straight, flat, subulate, horizontal or slightly deflexed, 
unequal, solitary or somewhat confluent, but not seriate spines, which often are 
covered with dark floccose scurf; near the mouth of the sheath the spines are more 
numerous and longer than elsewhere, some of them attaining the length of 6-7 
em., and are straight, slender, whitish and brittle, whereas others are flat and subulate 
and even bristle-ike, Leaf-sheath flagella filiform, very slender. Ocrea rather elongate, 
papyraceous, exsuccous and entirely covered with spines as on the sheaths. Leaves 
‘7-1 m. in length; petiole very short (3-5 cm. long) and like a large portion of the 
basal part of the rachis, flat above and convex beneath, where the rachis is armed 
throughout with short, conical, straight or slightly recurved spines; these stronger 
and longer along the middle and changed in the upper part of the leaf into solitary 
and rather approximate claws; leaflets numerous, equidistant, alternate or subopposite, 
narrowly ensiform or linear-ensiform, alternate at the base, acuminate to a very acute 
and bristly subulate apex, subshining and almost concolorous on both surfaces; the 
mid-costa acute and, like one slender nerve on each side of it, bristly-spinulous 
above; beneath all nerves indistinst and only the mid-costa furnished with a few 
long bristles; margins very minutely and appressedly bristly; the largest leaflets, 
those a little above the base, 25-28 cm. in length, and 12-15 mm. broad; the 
upper ones gradually shorter but not narrower; the two of the terminal pair one- 
half or two-thirds smaller than the others and very slightly confluent by their bases or 
almost free. Male spadiz very slender, partially supradecompound, very elongate, 
flagelliform; primary spathes very long and narrow, the lowest compressed and 
covered with spines similar to those of the sheaths; the others cylindraceous, excessively 
narrow and long, very closely sheathing, entire id obliquely truneate at the mouth, 
more or less densely armed, especially on the outer side, with slender claws; partial 
inflorescences filiform, very long and delicate, 30-70 cm. long, inserted above the 
mouth of their own spathe and very distinctly callous at their upper axilla, partially 
decompound, viz., bearing at the base some secondary branches (these 10-15 cm, 
long) and upwards some very remote and very slender spikelets; secondary spathes. 
elongate ; the lower ones 5-6 em. long, the others shorter, very narrow and very 
closely sheathing, tubular-cylindraceous in their upper part, very attenuate at the base, 
unarmed or sparingly spinulous, truncate at the mouth, where ciliate-filamentose at first, 
then naked, acute at one side; spikelets very delicate, filiform, horizontally inserted with 
a distinct axillary callus a few millimetres above the mouth of their respective 
spatho; the larger ones 5-6 em. long (rarely more) and bearing 12-14 exactly 
