list of figures - Terry Sunderland

exception to this is Laccosperma opacum, which possesses between 12-14 rows of
vertical scales.
Within the outer covering of scales lies the remainder of the fruit wall. In the majority
of the Calamoideae the fruit wall is rather thin (Uhl and Dransfield, 1987) but in the
endemic African genera, there is a conspicuous mesocarp (this character is also shared
by the genus Korthalsia (ibid.)), which is usually somewhat sweet-tasting. The
innermost layer of the fruit wall, the pericarp, usually consists of a thin membrane
within which lies the seed.
A sarcotesta is a fleshy layer developed from the outer seed coat. This fleshy layer is
common within the Asian members of the Calamoideae, notably among species where
the fruit wall is thin and not particularly fleshy. Although rare within the African
rattan taxa, the sarcotesta is particularly conspicuous in Calamus deërratus. Despite
the presence of a fleshy mesocarp the seeds of the species of Oncocalamus also posses
a very thin sarcotesta, as does Laccosperma opacum.
1.2.21 The seed
Usually within the Calamoideae, each fruit produces only one seed. However, some
species of Laccosperma and Eremospatha sometimes have two, or perhaps three,
seeds in each fruit, although this is rather uncommon. The species of both
Laccosperma (with the exception of L. opacum, which is globose and has a deep cleft
on one side) and Eremospatha have rounded seeds that are flattened on one side. The
seeds of Oncocalamus are always globose. Those of Calamus deërratus are globose
but possess a small conspicuous beak at the apex.
The seed coat in a number of genera of African rattans shows some remarkable and
wide variation. In the majority of the genus Laccosperma, the seed is smooth;
however, Laccosperma opacum has a distinctly pitted and warty surface. Likewise, in
Oncocalamus, the seed of O. mannii is also pitted, whilst the seed coat of the
remaining species is smooth. The seeds of Eremospatha and Calamus are always
smooth.
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