498 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. LC. simplex. 
PLATE 188A.—Calamus cæsius Bi, (Under the name of Calamus optimus Becc), 
Portion of the sheathed stem with the base of a leaf; summit of a leaf,—from 
Scortechini’s No. 456 in Herb. Becc.; portion of a fruiting spadix,—from Ridley’s 
No. 11882 in Herb. Cale.; detached fruits and seeds, one of these cut longitudinally 
through the embryo,—from Ridley’s No. 10716 in Herb. Kew. 
Pirate 189.—Calamus exsius Bl. Portion of a sheathed stem; portion of a leaf 
from near its base and seen from the lower surface; the summit of a leaf from a 
specimen in Herb. Becc. gathered from a plant cultivated at Buitenzorg. 
160. CALAMUS SIMPLEX Becc. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 450, and in 
. Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. ii. 211. 
Description.—Rather slender, scandent, Sheathed stem 1-2 cm. in diam. Leaf- 
sheaths not flagelliferous, very obliquely truncate at the mouth, gibbous above, covered 
at the different parts of the spadix with a crustaceous more or less permanent rusty- 
furfuraceous indumentum, strongly armed with unequal, elastic, laminar, lanceolate, 
shining, yellowish or schistaceous-brown, horizontal or slightly deflexed spines, of 
which the largest up to 2 em. long, their base 5 mm. broad, slightly concave 
beneath and strongly callous above. Ocrea marcescent, brittle and deciduous. Leaves 
80 em. to 15 m. long in the pinniferous part, with very few very large leaflets, 
terminating in a rather long but delicate cirrus, which is armed at regular intervals 
with rather strong gradually diminishing almost always ternate claws; petiole rather 
robust, 15-20 cm. long, flat above, convex beneath, in vigorous. plants 1 cm. 
broad, armed on the acute margins with a few strong horizontal spines; rachis 
bifaced and smooth above, flattish beneath where armed at the sides, in its lower 
portion, with a few strong claws, these ternate in its upper part; leaflets very few 
about 10 in all, papyraceous, rigid, solitary, very remote or with long vacant spaces 
amongst them, more or less concavo-convex, sub-opposite or at great distances (even 
30 cm.) alternate, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, almost equally narrowed to both 
ends, acute at the base, very shortly acuminate at the summit, green above, slightly 
paler beneath, with 5-6 acute costae, these quite smooth on both surfaces; transverse 
veinlets not very conspicuous; margins quite smooth, the lower one often bordered 
on the upper surface with a polished band, other similar bands sometimes occurring 
on the blade alongside the costae; the largest leaflets up to 60 cm. long and 10 cm. 
broad, in less vigorous specimens 30 by 5-6°5 cm., the lower ones usually the 
largest; the uppermost slightly shorter. Male spadiz very simple, elongate, in one 
specimen 85 cm. long with 9 alternate spikelets in all, only the lowest of these with a 
secondary spikelet at its base, otherwise simply decompound like the female spadix; 
primary spathes tubular, elongate, slightly loosely sheathing and slightly flattened 
truncate and entire at the mouth, prolonged at one side into a short triangular acutely 
keeled point, sprinkled with very few scattered prickles, narrowed 2 good deal towards 
the base into a slender much flattened unarmed axial portion; the lowest primary 
spathe not differing from the upper ones, only more elongate and with a longer 
flattened part at the base; spikelets inserted a little above the mouth of their own 
spathe and slightly callous at their axilla, spreading, arched, flexuous, flattened, zig- 
zag sinuous between the flowers, 12-13 cm. long, with 15-16 rather remote flatly 
