eC. rhomboideus. | BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 337 
sometimes asymmetric, but not ansate at the base, suddenly contracted at the apex 
into a short narrow bristly-ciliate tip, flabellate or  radiate-plieate with 9-12 main 
cosiae almost equally prominent on both surfaces, radiately divergent from the base, 
of which the central only reaching the summit and the side ones arching near the 
margins and evanescent at different levels; secondary nerves slender and like the 
primary ones naked on both surfaces; transverse veinlets very numerous, crowded) 
distinct and not much interrupted; the margins bristly-ciliate from above the 
middle; all leaflets of about the same size, the intermediate ones 20-23 em. long, 
9-10 cm. broad, the two of the terminal pair quite discrete at the base, slightly 
smaller than the others. Male spadiz simply decompound, elongate, sometimes up to 2 
metres in length (?), flagelliferous at the summit; primary spathes tubular, cylin- 
draceous, closely sheathing, thinly coriaceous, slightly enlarged above, prickly 
chiefly on the back near the base, prolonged at the summit into a short ovate 
acute point; partial inflorescences numerous, attached near the mouth of their own 
spathes, elongate, rather rigid, erecto-patent, those seen by me 30-40 cm. long 
with 8-12 spikelets on each side; secondary spathes narrowly tubular, infundi- 
buliform, gradually decreasing in length from the base of the inflorescence upwards 
(owing to the spikelets being gradually more approximate), the lowest, the 
largest 2—2'5 cm. long, unarmed, longitudinally finely striately veined, scaly or 
subglabrous, truncate and entire at the mouth, slightly prolonged at one side 
into a short obtuse patent or deflexed point; spikelets arched, horizontal or deflex- 
ed, inserted just at the mouth of their own spathes, with a distinct axillary callus, 
rather rigid and thick, the longest, the lowest, 5-7 cm. long with 13-15 
perfectly bifarious flowers on each side; the upper ones somewhat shorter and 
with fewer flowers; spathels approximate, bracteiform, very broad, concave, patent 
or subreflexed, obtuse, entire, obsoletely striately veined; involucre subringent, more 
or less regularly cupular, sometimes longer than broad, occasionally obscurely 
bidentate and two-keeled on the side next to the axis, pushing down its own 
spathel and laterally attached to the base of the one above. Male flowers large, 
8 mm. long, 2 mm. thick, almost horizontally inserted, cylindraceous, obtuse, firm 
in texture; calyx cyathiform, campanulate, boldly striately veined with 3 short 
very broad obtuse teeth; corolla almost 3 times as long as the calyx, divided 
from near the base into 3 oblong not or indistincly striately veined opaque 
segments; stamens with filiform filaments, these when in the bud inflected; anthers 
linear-sagittate, acute, versatile, attached a little below the apex; rudimentary ovary 
minute, 3-partite. Female spadiz and fruit unknown. 
Hasirat.—Java, on the Megamendong mountain. According to Blume it occurs 
also in Sumatra and Borneo. From Sumatra I „ave seen no specimens. Those 
from Borneo, which Blume considers as only a variety (8. rigida) of the Javan 
plant, seem to me specifically distinct. 
OxseRvations,—I have seen of C. rhomboideus a leaf and a portion of the 
spadix of the authentic specimen, the same described by Blume and figured in 
plate 154 of the “ Rumphia.” Blume does not exactly state the locality of the male 
spadix, but the portion sent to me by the late Dr, Boerlage is labelled as having 
been gathered on the Megamendong. 
Ann. Roy. Bor. Garp. CarcurrA Vor. XI. 
