58 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA, [C. Gibbsianus. 
1105, CaraMus Grpsstanus Bece. sp. n. 
Drscrrption.—Scandent, slender. Sheathed stem about as thick as a finger. Leaf- 
sheaths rather densely armed with unequal, scattered, or more or less confluent, 
horizontal, light-coloured, rather rigid spines, of which several are very small, 
and others have a rather swollen base and are 10—15 mm. long; the surface 
between the spines is scurfy and sprinkled with small spinuliform hairs. Ocrea 
short, slightly hairy. Leaves about 70 em. long including the peticle; the latter 
15 em. long (in one specimen), strongly depressed, flat on the upper surface, convex 
anderneath, strongly armed on the edges with unequal, rather robust spines, of 
which only a few near the base are straight and all the others hooked;  rachis 
with a very acute salient angle and flat side-faces above, armed underneath 
with a line of rather robust single claws; leaflets not very numerous, 11-12 on 
each side, subequidistant, 8—sub-5-costulate, narrowly lanceolate, broadest about their 
middle and thence almost equally tapering towards both ends, acuminate above 
to a subulate bristly ciliate apex, the base rather acute: they are rather firmly 
papyraceous, green on both surfaces, very slightly paler underneath, where 
sprinkled with very minute, hair-like, whitish scales visible only under the lens; 
3n the lower surface the mid-costa is closely covered with very minute 
hairs, the other nerves being smooth; on the upper surfaces the costae are sparingly 
spinulous only towards the apex; margins quite smooth; transverse veinlets conspicuous 
translucent, much interrupted, very sharp especially on the upper surface; the 
intermediate leaflets are 20-25 em. long, 2:5-3 cm. broad; the upper gradually 
shorter but not narrower; the lowest somewhat shorter and narrower; the petiole, 
the rachis and especially the base of the leaflets on the under surface are covered 
with a soft rusty wool which is fugacious on the rachis and petiole but very 
abundant and apparently permanent at the base of the leaflets. Male spadiz . . . 
Female spadix simply decompound; in one specimen it has only 3 partial 
inflorescences and is 1'7 m. long inclusive of the terminal, slender, clawed, 1 m. 
ong flagellum; it is rigid and erect in its lowest part, not scabrid, but covered 
with very minute whitish hair like almost punctiform scales, visible only under a 
lens; primary spathes elongate, tubular, closely sheathing, produced at the summit into 
a triangular, dorsally keeled, acuminate point, glabrous at the mouth; the lowest 
spathe, flat on the axial side, convex and smooth or slightly prickly in its basal 
part on the back: the margins sharp and acutely serrate, or armed with sbort 
horizontal rather closely set prickles; upper partial spathes smooth or nearly so; partial 
inflorescences arising erect at or a litile above the mouth of their respective 
apathes, then wore or less arched; the largest, lowest, is 10-12 em. long and has 
several unilateral speedily decreasing spikelets; upper partial inflorescences considerably 
smaller. All parts of the partial inflorescences are at first scurfy and later 
glabrous; their main axis is angular; the secondary spathes broaden in their upper part 
and are produced at one side into a triangular, membranous, acute point; spikelets 
attached at the mouth of their own spathes with a very distinct axillary callus, 
spreading, strongly arched: the lowar and largest 4-6 cm. long, with two series of 
rather distant, assurgent flowers, each serios consisting of 5-7 flowers; upper spikelets 
gradually shorter, the uppermost with 2-3 flowers only; spathels tubular-infundibuliform, 
truncate, entire and glabrous at the mouth, acute or apiculate at one side, 
