378 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA.  [Q. Ridleyanus. 
its general habit. It seems related to €. Ridleyanus. Its characteristics amongst the 
species of the group are the leaf-sheaths armed with short broad-based prickles; the 
numerous approximate equidistant narrow 3-costate leaflets; the long strongly clawed 
flagelliferous female spadix with rather short partial inflorescences; the thick spikelets 
with very approximate flowers; the fruit obovate, stoutly beaked, closely and 
irregularly packed round the axis of the spikelet. 
Pirate 157.—Calamus densiflorus Becc. The basal portion of a leaf; an inter- 
mediate portion of the same leaf from underneath; portion of the fruit-spadix with 
an entire partial inflorescence; the seed long lly cut in two halves.—From 
Ridley’s specimen No, 6280 in Herb. Becc. 
134. QCaLaMus RipLExANus Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii, 205. 
DescripTion.—-Scandent, of moderate size. Leaf-sheaths , . . . . Leaves large, 
subcirriferous, terminating in a finely and densely clawed rachis with very diminutive 
leaflets; petiole apparently short, deeply channelled above, armed at the sides with 
slender horizontal spines; rachis in its first portion, broadly channelled in the centre 
and with a narrow channel on each side, where are attached the leaflets, irregularly 
and rather densely armed beneath with stout solitary light-based and black-tipped 
claws, these ternate and more regularly set towards the summit, where the rachis 
is trigonous with an acute angle; leaflets numerous, equidistant or nearly so, not 
very crowded, often disposed in the upper portion of the rachis in opposite 
pairs (these 4-5 cm, apart) ensiform or lanceolate-ensiform, gradually narrowed 
towards the base, subulately acuminate into a bristly apex, rather firm, papyraceous, 
green on both surfaces, shining and with three acute and smooth costae above; 
beneath the three costae faint but bristly in their anterior portion; margins quite 
smooth, slightly thickened by a secondary nerve; transverse veinlets slender but 
very distinct; the largest leaflets, the intermediate ones, 45 cm. long and 2:5 em. 
broad, the upper ones gradually smaller, those of the summit very small, a few cm. in 
length. Male spadiz . . . . . Female spadix simply decompound, rather robust, 
flagelliform, very elongate, in one specimen 3 metres long, including the slender 
terminal, 70 em. long, clawed flagellum, and with 3 very remote simple very long 
partial inflorescences; lowest primary spathe strictly tubular of uniform diameter 
throughout, biconvex and very slightly two-edged, obliquely truncate and  paleaceous- 
ciliate at the mouth, very densely armed with very small scattered horizontal black- 
tipped and light-based, 1-3 mm, long prickles; upper primary spathes cylindraceous, 
very long, very strictly sheathing, densely armed like the lowest spathe, but the 
prickles deflexed, prolonged at the summit into a lanceolate point; main axis of the 
spadix almost terete in its elongate lower portion where 5-6 mm. in diam., armed 
with strong solitary or aggregate and sometimes half-whorled claws; in its upper 
portion the axis in the parts corresponding to the elongate base of the spathes 
is flat inside, very acute at the sides, convex and clawed on the back; partial 
inflorescences robust, rigid, straight, very long, the lower ones the largest, 75-90 cm. 
long with 9-12 spikelets on each side and terminating in a narrow tail-like aculeolate 
sheathed appendix; the upper inflorescences shorter and with fewer spikelets; secondary 
spathes finely scaly-furfuraceous when young, tubular-infundibuliform, 3-4 cm. long, 
