88 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. Z. secunda. 
L 
Calamus collinus Griff. Palms Brit. Ind. p. CLXXXVI (leaf only). 
Descriprion.— Nothing is known about the general habit of this plant, but 
apparently it is less armed with spines than is usual with its congeners. Leaves 
very large, 10 m. long (Mann); the petiole is covered fugaciously with a "very 
minute, rusty pulverulent indumentum, is terete in its upper part, and is armed 
like the lower part of the rhachis. but only on its back, with a few slender, 
needle-like, fasciculate spines. 2-3 em. long; the rhachis is. in its lower part, 
rounded on the back, and has above two longitudinal furrows for the insertion of 
the leaflets; higher up it is trigonous, and quite unarmed. Leaflets in groups 
of 2-3 on each side of the rhachis in its lowar part, regularly alternate above, 
straight (not sigmoid nor falcate), narrowly lanceolate, almost equally diminishing 
from the. middle towards both ends, very gradually acuminate above to a very 
acute and (in the lower leaflets) filamentose tip equally green and almost shining 
on both surfaces, acutely tricostulate, the 3 costae bristly-spinulous on the upper 
. surface from about the middle upwards, smooth beneath; margins appressedly 
bristly-spinulous above the middle; transverse veinlets very slender and sharp, 
extremely numerous anl approximate; the intermediate leaflets 85-90 cm. long, 
65-7 cm. wide. the lowermost shorter and narrower, the upper gradually smaller 
and less acuminate; all free, except the two of the apex, which are the smallest 
and are united by their bases. Mule spadix rather large with a robust axial part 
bearing at different levels several spike-bearing branchlets. Primary spathes 
covered with a thin, soft, rusty, detachable indumentum, tubular in their closed basal 
part, unclosed lanceolate-acuminate and partly clasping above. The spike-bearing 
branches flaccid, nodding or recurved, up to 13 m. long or shorter, divided into 
smaller branches in their lower part, and bearing several spikes. The spikes have 
in general an alternate secund arrangement, and come forth solitary from the 
mouth of a secondary spathe, are 6-7 cm. long, and 14-15 mm. across, are 
supported by a slender elongate pedicellar part as long as or a little longer than 
the spathes and itself sheathed by several infundibuliform tertiary spathes. ‘he 
secondary spathes have a tubular base, and a lanceolate-acuminate and lacerated 
limb. The spathels of the spikes are united by their bases, but have a bractei— 
form, deltoid, very obtuse. free limb. Male flowers 8 mm. long, clavate at the 
time of the anthesis, almost entirely exserted from the spathels; the calyx at 
first completely encloses the corolla, but later is deeply 3-lobed; the corolla 
is a little longer than the calyx and divided (not quite to the middle) 
into 3  oblong segments; the  stamens have  linear-oblong anthers ; floral 
bracteoles are linear, hairy-paleacsous above, and give the spikes a tomen- 
tose appearance at certain periods of their development.. Female spadix 
erect, with a stout axial part, divided into a few short, erect, thick 
spike-bearing branches ; the lowest spathes are produced, from a short embracing 
base, into a very long (40 cm. in one speciment) acuminate solid point, which is 
armed with slender needle-like spines ; the spathes of the branches are similar to 
those of the male spadix, but broader and shorter. | Female spikes thickish 
(2 cm. in diameter) briefly stalked, 6—8 cm. long, spreading or recurved. Spathels 
coriaceous, united by their bases, but having a very broadly triangular concave, 
obtuse free part ; they embrace 2 flowers, one of which is large and female, and 
® 
