289 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. B; [ovoideus.. 
longitudinally eut through the embryo (from.C. P. No, 2874 in Herb. Boiss.) The 
intermediate portion of the leaf (upper surface) is supposed to belong to C. ovoideus, 
but was united to the portion of spadix of C. zeylanicus with immature fruit in the 
Herb, de Candolle. 
PrarE 160.—Calamus zeylanicus Bece. An entire partial inflorescence of a female 
spadix in flower, with the upper part of a primary spathe (C. P. No. 2874 in the 
Herb. Deless.); an intermediate portion of a leaf from underneath (on the upper left 
corner, from C. P. No, 2874 in the Herb. de Cand); an intermediate portion of a 
leaf from above (on the lower right-hand corner, from OC. P. No. 2874 in Herb. 
Boiss. ). 
136. Caramus ovorpEUS Thw. ex Trimen in Journ, of Bot, 1885, 269; Hook» 
f. Fl. Brit, Ind. vi, 457; Becc. in Rec. Bot, Surv. Ind. ii, 211. 
Description,—High scandent and robust. Leaf-sheaths (seemingly not flagelliferous) 
with many approximate rings formed with broad laminar, black, often lacerate spines 
(Trimen). Leaves large, 4 m. long (Trimen) including the terminal cirrus, this armed 
at regular intervals with half-whorls of strong black-tipped claws; petiole 
. . 3 rachis robust, flattish or broadly and shallowly channelled on the upper 
surface of its basal portion, its margins strongly armed with small ascendent spinules, 
deeply furrowed at the sides where are inserted the leaflets, beneath armed at first 
with solitary claws, which become 3-5-nate upwards; leaflets numerous equidistant 
alternate, papyraceous, elongate-ensiform, slightly narrowed to the base, where not 
very acute and suddenly plicate at their insertion, very gradually acuminate towards 
the apex and lengthened out into a subulate setose tip, this more or less deeply 
indented on the lower margin 2-3 cm. from the apex, 3-or sub 5-costulate, 3 costae 
bearing long spadiceous bristles on the lower surface especially towards the apex and a 
few also on the upper one, papyraceous, green and subconcolorous on both surfaces; 
transverse veinlets very fine, approximate, sinuous, much interrupted; margins very 
remotely adpressedly and inconspicuously spinulous; the largest leaflets seen by 
me, apparently belonging to the intermediate portion of the leaf, 55 cm. 
long 23 mm. broad. Male spadiz . . . . . Female spadiz not flagelliferous 
at its summit, large and diffuse, decompound, brown in every part when dry; 
primary spathes coriaceous, tubular, somewhat enlarged above, sparsely armed with 
very short scattered deflexed spines; partial inflorescences robust, the one seen by 
me 60 cm. long, with distichous spikelets on each side and terminating in a short 
smooth tail-like appendix; secondary spathes about 2 cm. long, tubular, slightly 
infundibuliform, unarmed, thinly coriaceous, often longitudinally split, rather loosely 
sheathing, truncate and entire at the mouth, where extended at one side into a short 
broad triangular point; spikelets robust, slightly arched, spreading, attached inside 
and at the bottom of their own spathe, stalked by a narrow flattened pedicelliform 
part, this therefore about as long as the respective spathe, terminating in a 
very short diminutive caudiculum (8-10 cm. long) with 14-16 distichous flowers on 
each side; spathels broadly and shortly infundibuliform, horizontally truncate, thinly 
coriaceous, not or obsoletely striately veined, very slightly extended and acute 
at one, side (that of the flower) where usually split; involucrophorum calyciform, 
narrowed at the base and inserted at the bottom of its own spathel and therefore 
