Abstract

Two new species of Calamus and three new species of Daemonorops are described from Andaman and Nicobar islands. Geographically isolated from the mainland, Andaman and Nicobar islands are characterised by a distinctive flora and are treasure-houses of several rare and endemic taxa. This is particularly true of rattans, which has been reported to have 13 species here (Beccari 1908, 1911, 1918Parkinson 1922Basu 1922), belonging to three genera namely Calamus, Daemonorops, and Korthalsia. During a recent expedition, we collected some interesting specimens from these islands, two of them belonging to Calamus and three to Daemonorops, which did not match with any of the known taxa. Closer scrutiny revealed that they are new taxa and are, hence, described and illustrated here