6. Zollingerii. | BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 387 
10-11 mm. broad (when quite ripe); scales in 15 series, shining, somewhat convex, 
not channelled along the middle, brownish-straw-coloured with a darker semicircular 
transverse band at the base of the point; this elongate triangular, Opaque, scarious, 
reddish-brown, finely erosely fringed. Seed ovoid, rounded at both ends, convex, 
coarsely and sinuously grooved on the back, flattish on the raphal side, with a. 
circular and very superficial chalazal fovea; albumen equable; embryo basal. 
The different parts of the spadix, the spikelets and flowers and even the 
leaflets have a cinnamon-brown colour when dry. 
HaBirAT.—Common in the forests of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Kurz 
gives the Andamanese name of “Chowdah” and Man that of ''Chárab" in the 
Andamans and ‘‘N&t” in the Nicobars. The radical (not cirriferous) leaves are 
employed, according to Man, for thatching, and then the plant receives the name 
of ** Hok-Néak.” 
OnsERvATIONS.— This is the Calamus with the largest stem of those known to me; 
it approaches in many characters to C. ovoideus, but it is easily distinguishable by 
the fruit-scales which have a very conspicuous elongate and scarious point. In the 
not fully-grown fruit only the brown and dull points of the scales are visible and 
their yellow  posticous glossy part remains covered. In my enumeration of the 
species of Calamus (Records of the Bot. Surv. of India, ii, 211) I have men- 
tioned a var. nicobaricus, having found remarkable differences in the armature of the 
leaf-sheaths between my specimen and Kurz’s plate xxviii; but apparently this plate 
represents the base of the stem of a young plant where, besides the small seriate 
spiculae, there are also longer and larger pectinate spines; while in my specimen of 
the upper part of a fertile plant, represented in plate 164, this last kind of spine 
is wanting. The radical leaves and those of the lower part of the plant are not 
cirriferous, 
PrarE 163.—Calamus andamanicus Kurz. ^ Partial inflorescence (on the left side) 
with almost mature fruit (specimen from the Andamans forwarded by Mr. Man with 
the name of *Chárab"); portion of a leaf from above its middle (under surface) 
belonging to the specimen mentioned above; male partial inflorescence (from the 
Nicobars forwarded by Mr, Man with the name of * Nát"); portion of the naked 
stem, also from the Nicobars by Mr. Man with the name of ‘‘Nat”; fruits and 
seeds from the inflorescence mentioned above. 
PLATE 164.—Calamus andamanicus Kurz. Summit of a fruit spadix (specimen 
from the Nicobars collected by Mr. Man); portion of a leaf (upper surface) from 
near its base, specimen from the Nicobars, forwarded by Mr. Man with the name 
of ^Ok-héak"; portion of the sheathed stem from a very robust and adult plant; 
these were also sent from the Nicobars by Mr. Man with the name of ‘Charab”’. 
139. CALAMUS ZOLLINGERII Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind, ii, 199. 
DrscRIPTION.— Seandent, very large and robust. Sheathed stem as thick as a 
man's arm. Leaf-sheaths (not flagelliferous ?) almost woody, strongly armed with 
stout flat, very unequal, light-based brown-tipped, very short or 5-6 cm. long, 
solitary or: irregularly obliquely seriate spines. Leaves very large, cirriferous (the 
Axx. Roy. Bor. Garp, CancurTA Vor. XI. | 
