18 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. C. -scortechinit. 
spinous, especially towards the apex; the. succeeding spathes become gradually 
smaller and less spinous, and are more shortly beaked. The floriferous branch- 
lets are shorter than their respective spathes, 2—5 cm. long. and usually have 
a smaller ‘branchlet at their base; their axial part is .thiekish, sinuous, speedily 
narrows above and carries very few flowers; the spathels are annular-cyathiform, 
truncate, slightly produced at. one side; involucroghorum shallowly cupular ; 
involuere slightly exceeding the involucrophorum, shallow, subdisciform and entire. 
Female flowers 7 mm. long. Fruit globular, slightly broader than high, and very 
obsoletely 3-lobed, 2 cm. in diameter, shortly and stoutly beaked, crowned by the 
permanent circinnate stigmas, 5 mm. long; scales in about 24 vertical series, very 
appressed, uniformly shining black in the exposed part, straw yellow in the 
posticous covered part, with a V shaped depression along the centre; the apex, 
acute but not produced; the margins obsoletely erosely-toothed. The few fruits 
examined -contained 2—3 seeds; when the seeds are 2 in number; they have 
‘a flat inner face and convex dorsum; when there are 3, they have the dorsum 
also convex, and two inner faces separated by a salient angle; are about 12 mm. 
long, and 6 mm. thick; when cleansed from the thin, apparently once slightly 
fleshy integument, their surface is almost even, dull dark brown, and with an 
inconspicuous punctiform chalazal fovea. Fruiting pertanth explanate; the calyx 
entire with the base slightly thickened; the divisions of the corolla twice as long 
as the calyx, elongate and triangular. | i 
Hasrrat.—Father Seortechini collected of this curious and very interesting Palm, 
only one fruiting spadix (or a partial inflorescence of it ?) in the state of Perak, 
probably on Gunong (Mount) Bubu, but the label accompanying the specimen evidently 
belongs to another plant. Ridley gives for his Daemonorops Calospatha the locality 
of Gunong Kelendang, which is also in Perak. 
OssERvATIONs.—[t is a very distinct Palm, not allied to any other known to me; 
apparently related te Daemonorops, from which it differs mainly in its fruit with 
9—3 seeds, having a homogeneous albumen, a character not encountered iu any 
species of Daemonorops. ‘Ihe peculiar structure and disposition of its spathes 
approaches Calospatha to  Plectocomia, but apparently the first has lateral, non- 
terminal intlorescences ; furthermore all Plectocomias have smooth (not spinous) spathes. 
The description given by Ridley of the fruiting spadix of his Daemonorops 
Calospatha is exactly that of the type specimen of Calospatha Scortechinii existing 
in my herbarium; of this specimen a drawing was sent by me to Kew, precisely 
under the name of Calospatha Scortechinii, together with my manuscript notes for 
the “Flora of British India," wherein however this Palm was not included. 
Ridley gives also the description of the stem and leaves of his Daemonorops 
Calospatha; but no leaves accompany in my herbarium the spadix described above, 
and I have not seen the leaves and the stem of the specimens that Ridley considers 
as belonging to the spadix he deseribes. Of this he says that the fruit is covered 
with orange scales having brown edges; whereas in my specimen the fruit is 
uniformly black. ‘There is therefore some ground for doubt, as to the complete 
identity of Daemonorops Calospatha Ridley with Calospatha Scortechinii Becc. 
PLate 12.—Calospatha Scortechinii Becc. The entire type specimen in Herb. 
Beccari. 
