Q. axillaris. | BECCARI. MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS CALAMUS. 415 
ones, Male spadix apparently axillary, in one specimen 1:4 m. long, slender, almost 
entirely unarmed, projecting erect from the axilla of a leaf, nodding upwards, 
partially supradecompound with a few partial inflorescences, not flagelliferous at the 
summit and terminating in a spikelet; primary spathes more or less fugaciously 
scaly-furfuraceous, finely longitudinally striate, the first tubular, closely sheathing, 
strongly flattened, ancipitous, the edges acute, almost unarmed, the following also 
somewhat flattened: the upper ones more cylindraceous, slightly enlarged and some- 
what loosely sheathing in their upper part, suddenly narrowed at the base into a 
strongly flattened unarmed axial portion, smooth or with a straggling prickle near 
the summit, obliquely truncate, entire and naked at the mouth and prolonged at 
one side into a triangular acute or shortly acuminate point; partial inflorescences 
12-20 cm, apart one from the otber, ascendent, attached outside their respective 
spathes, the lower ones 2 cm. long, branched at the base, the others gradually 
smaller, those near the summit with 3-4 spikelets only; the upper spathes much 
reduced in length and with simple spikelets, similar to those of the partial inflor- 
escences; secondary spathes elongate-infundibuliform, narrow and angular at the base, 
enlarged and loosely sheathing in their upper part, truncate, entire and ciliolate at 
the mouth and fugaciously scaly-furfuraceous; the simple spikelets 2-25 cm. long, 
inserted at the mouth of their own spathe, not callous at their insertion, ascendent 
and strongly arched-subscorpioid, with 6-12 flowers on each side, not always exactly 
flat or on one plane, the two series being slightly assurgent; spathels short, close 
together, bracteiform, unilaterally evolute, concave, broadly ‘ovate, apiculate a good 
deal longer than the involucre and subtending their respective flower, strongly veined, 
ciliate-paleaceous at the margin ; involucre dimidiately cupular or like a swallow’s 
nest, flat, two-keeled and acutely bidentate on the side next to the axis, the margin 
ciliate like the spathels. Male flowers when not quite full-grown ovate; the calyx 
deeply 3-toothed, striately veined. Fruit unknown. 
Hasrrat.—The Malayan Peninsula; in the district of Perak, Scoríechini. 
OssERVATIoNs.—1 have seen of this only one specimen of the upper part of 
the plant with two leaf-sheaths, an entire leaf and a male spadix; this not 
inserted as usual laterally near the mouth of a spathe but lower down towards 
its base; owing to this the base of the spadix is covered by the sheath immediately 
below its own and emerges from the mouth of it at the axilla of the petiole. 
The structure of the male spadix brings C. azillaris near to the species of the 
group of C. inermis or to those of the group of C, palustris, but more probably. to 
those of the first and especially to C. simplex; it differs, however, from it not only 
in the curious character of the insertion of the spadix, but also in the shortly 
petioled leaves with rather numerous inequidistant not coupled, narrowly lanceolate 
green, concolorous, sub-5-costulate, naked leaflets. | 
In no other Calamus known to me is the insertion of the spadix so far remote 
from the summit of the sheath which produces it. 
disi 181.—Calamus axillaris Becc. Portion of the sheathed stem with an entire 
male spadix; basal portion of a leaf (under surface); the summit of a leaf (upper 
surface).—From Scortechini’s specimen in Herb. Becc. ; 
