138 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. (C. oxycarpus 
side. Albumen homogeneous. Fruiting  períanth ^ obconical, pedicelliform, about 
2 mm. long; calyx cyathiform, 3-lobed; the corolla as long as tbe calyx, its 
segments smaller than the lobes of the calyx. 
Hasrrat.—The Great Key Island, where it was probably collected by Jaheri. 
No. 277 in the Buitenzorg Herbarium. | 
OnsERvATIONs.—Apparently related to C. heteracanthus, A very distinct Species 
with its spherical. very small fruits, with numerous, very small, squarrose, non- 
grooved scales, and with a distinctly pedicelliform perianth, borne by a slender, 
very conspicuous, pedicelliform involucrophorum. It is also well characterized by 
the subeirriferous leaves, which have lanceolate, equidistant, pluricostulate leaflets. 
SuppL. Pirate 80.—Calamus keyensis Bece. Upper end and intermediate portion 
of a leaf; partial fruiting branch. From No, 277 in the Buitenzorg Herbarium. 
CALAMUS OXYCARPUS Becc. n. sp. 
Description.—Tufted, gregarious. Stems erect, about 2 m. high. Leaves about 
2 m. long, said to be very spiny (Cávalerie) ; in the small portion of one seen by 
me, the rachis is bifaced above, slightly convex below, and shows traces of having 
been armed there with straight, elongate spines; the ieaflets are in groups of 3 
on each side of the rachis; are lanceolate, or suboblanceolate, 25—50 cm. long, 3°5-4 
em. broad, and gradually narrow from about the middle, downwards to an acute 
base, and upwards to an acuminate tip spinulous at the side; have 4 costulae ; 
are of a rather firm texture, dull green and quite bald on upper surfaces, but are 
whitish below, from a very thin, soft, adherent, cottony indumentum ; moreover, 
they are furnished on that surface with very numerous, small, scattered, spinule- 
like hairs, of a uniform length of about ! mm. ; the margins are minutely, and 
rather closely, spinulous ; transverse veinlets sharp on the upper surface, sinuous 
and much interrupted. Male spadiz...... Female spadiz very slender, flagelliform, flaccid, 
over one meter in length in one (apparently not entire) specimen, very simple, 
bearing very few, distant, simple spikelets, and terminating in a very slender, 
unarmed, thread-like caudiculum ; primary spathes elongate, narrow, at first tubular, 
but soon split and slashed longitudinally, unarmed, thin and dry in texture; 
the axial parts of the spadix are interposed between two spikelets, are as 
thick as a pack-thread, fugaciously wooily, and almost unarmed or furnished 
only with a few straggling, short, prickles; the spikelets are straight, 
erect, appressed to the main axis, relatively large, 10-12 cm. long (the uppermost ` 
shorter): at a first glance, the flowers seem to be arranged in 4 longitudinal series, 
for the neuter flowers accompanyihg the female ones are very conspicuous, at least 
this arrangement may be presumed from the large areola upon which they were 
inserted, as none were left in place on the specimen seen by me; spathels obliquely 
infundibuliform, thinly membraneous, tomentose, produced at one side into a triangular, 
often lacerate point; involucre immersed within its own spathel, and with difficulty 
distinguishable from it, bilobed on the side next to the axis; involucre deep, caly- 
ciform; the areola of the neuter flower conspicuous and in union with the external 
side of the involucrophorum, thus forming a special calyciform involucrum to the 
neuter flower, slightly smaller than that of the female. Female flowers relatively large, 
7 mm. long, inserted at a rather acute angle, elongate-ovoid; the calyx is of hard 
