L. Scipionum. | BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 373 
infundibuliform, 3-4 cm. long, rather loosely sheathing in their upper part, polished, 
smooth or very sparingly prickly on the back, obliquely truncate, entire and 
ciliate-paleaceous at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular acute erect 
point; branchlets 10-12 cm. long, with 8-10 distichous spikelets on each side, their 
spathes 5-10 mm. long, asymmetrically infundibuliform, unarmed, truncate, entire 
and ciliate at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a triangular point; spikelets 
spreading, small, about 2 cm. long, with 10-12 distichous flowers on each side; 
spathels bracteiform, very approximate, concave, ciliolate, acuminate at one side ; 
involucre cupular, shallow, striately veined, obliquely truncate, deeply excavate, 
bidentate and acutely two-keeled on the side next to the axis. Male flowers seen by 
me only in a too young state to be described. Female spadix simply decompound, 
excessively long (6-7 m.), with 7-9 very remote partial inflorescences and termina- 
ting in a long clawed flagellum; primary spathes as in the male spadix, in one 
specimen strongly armed with very robust solitary or even confluent and digitate 
claws; partial inflorescences very long, the lower ones, the largest, as much as 
1-18 m. long with 15-20 distichous spikelets on each side, those near the summit 
40-60 cm. long with. proportionally fewer spikelets; secondary spathes as in the 
male spadix, unarmed or more or less aculeate, especially in their upper part ; 
spikelets inserted just outside the mouth of their own spathe with a distinct axillary 
callus, deflexed, rigid, vermicular; the lower ones of the largest inflorescences 15-18 
cm. long with 30-36 almost horizontal flowers on each side; those of the smaller 
inflorescences 8-10 cm. long with 18-20 flowers on each side; spathels very short, 
broadly asymmetrically infundibuliform, ciliate-furfuraceous at the margins, at least 
when young, finely striately veined, prolonged at one side into a short spreading 
point; involucrophorum subtended by its own spathel and laterally attached to the 
base of the one above; involucre very shallowly cupular or almost explanate and 
disciform with unequal margin, more or less acutely bidentate on the side of the 
neuter flower, of which the areola is very conspicuous, lunate and sharply bordered. 
Female flowers about 4 mm. long. Fruiting perianth shortly but distinctly pedicelli- 
form, glabrous, smooth; the calyx indurated and often depressedly ventricose at the 
base, shortly and broadly 3-dentate; segments of the corolla narrower and slightly 
longer than the teeth of the calyx; stamens with filaments connate into a short 
urceolum at the base and suddenly linear from a broad base in the free part, as 
` long as the lobes of the corolla. Fruit small, broadly ovoid or sub-obovoid, 13-14 
. mm. long, 8 mm. broad, very suddenly and shortly beaked; scales in 15 series, 
shining, convex, channelled along the middle, very dark brown (when dry) with 
paler scarious finely erosely-toothed margins, tip short rather obtuse. Seed broadly 
ovate, coarsely pitted on the back, the chalazal fovea elliptic on the raphal side; 
albumen equable except for a few superficial intrusions of the integument; embryo 
basal. All parts of the plant, stem, leaves and spadices, acquire a cinnamon brown 
colour in drying. . 
Hasitat.—The Malayan Peninsula: district of Perak (Scortechini No. 501"); in 
the same district on Gunong Malacca (King’s collector No. 7171 in Herb. Cale.) and 
near Malacca at Ching (Grifith). I have seen no specimens from Sumatra, but Griffith 
writes that the main place of export of the canes produced by this Calamus is 
Siak, a small town facing Singapore on the East coast of that Island. From 
