778 DIOECIA HEXANDRIA, Calamus. 
Beng. Bet, or Sanchi-bet. 
Iecannot take upon me to quote any of Rumphius’s figures 
for this plant. It isa native of Bengal, and the Coromandel 
coast, delights in a rich, moist soil, where there are bushes 
and trees for it to climb on. Flowering time the rains; 
the fruit ripens during the cold season. 
Root fibrous. Stemjoined, climbing to a vast extent, en- 
veloped in the thorny sheaths of the leaves; with them it is 
about as thick as a man’slittle finger ; when they are removed, 
it is in thickness, and every other respect,.a common ratan, 
Leaves pinnate, from eighteen to thirty six-incheslong. Leaf- 
lets opposite or alternate, sessile, linear-lanceolate, armed in 
the margins with minute bristles pointing forward, and a few 
distinct, long, erect bristles on the upper surface, from six 
to twelve inches long. Sheaths cylindric, armed with nu- 
merous, strong, straight, compressed thorns, Petioles sheath- 
ing, the leaflet-bearing portion compressed, channelled, and 
armed with both straight and recurved thorns on the under 
sides rice: one from the sheath of each leaf near its mouth 
are very long, slender, drooping or waving, and well 
ane resembling the slender lash ofa whip; many of Rum- 
phius’s figures of these plants have such terminating the rib or 
rachis of the leaves. Maze, Calyx universal ; spathe none ; 
partial many, scattered, Spadix supra-decompound, droop- 
ing, being the above mentioned flagelli much enlarged, 
_ with numerous, partial, truncate spathes, with alternate, de- 
compound, bifarious, recurved spikes therefrom, the ramifica- 
‘ema. thereof, recutved, bearing in two rows on their convex 
erous minute greenish flowers. Perianth three- 
parted, smaller than the corol, permanent. Corol one-parted. 
Tube imperforated. Border three-parted; divisions oval, 
permanent, Filamenis six, thick at the base, tapering, near- 
ly as long as the corol and inserted on the mouth of its tube. 
_ Anthers incumbent, Germ none, but there is the rudiment 
of a three-cleft stigma. _ Fem ALE. Calya; sheaths as in the 
= ae decompound, mcrianth, and corol as in the 
