Daemonorops mollis (Blanco) Merr.

NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
EC I ES
MEJiJi ill:
JiLAHCOAHAE
NO.G85
685. Daemonorops mollis (Blanoo)
Merr*
Calamus mollis Blanco
Daemonorops gau&iohaudii Mart.
DAEMONOROPS Blume
^Calamus mollis Blanco FI. Filip. (1837) 264 (sp. nov.); ed. 2 (1845) 184;
ed. 3, 1 (1877) 329=DAEMONOROPS MOLLIS (Blanco) comb, nov!
(D. gaudichaudii Mart.).
This is one of the commonest rattans at low and medium
altitudes in lyuzon, is abundant in all the provinces contiguous
to Manila, is universally and rather exclusively known as ditan,
has non-edible fruits, and otherwise agrees with Blanco’s descrip-
tion. On account of these data I am obliged to differ from all
other authors in my interpretation of Calamus mollis Blanco.
»Beccari, Ann. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 11 (1908) 212-215, has inter-
preted Calamus moUis as a distinct species of Calamus, with
C. Jiaenkeanus Mart, as a synonym. Naves reduced Calamus
mollis to C. haenkeanus Mart. From the data and abundant
material now available here I cannot agree with this interpreta-
tion of Calamus mollis Blanco, but am forced to the opinion that
¡Calamus moUis Blanco is identical with Daemonorops gaudichau-
fiii Mart, and that Calamus mollis of Beccari and other authors
is Calamus usitatus Blanco, a species that was erroneously
reduced by Beccari to Daemonorops gaudichaudii Mart.
Illustrative specimen from Antipolo, Rizal Province, Luzon,
November, 1914, there known as ditan (Merrill: Species Blan-
coanae No. 685).
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