406 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



of capillary black and broad flat black spines. Spadix decompound, 

 nodding; spathes siibcompressed, armed with strong, reflexed, 

 solitary and ternate spines, partial nnarmed. Fruit distichous, 

 elliptic-ovoid, about ^ inch long, uniformly brown ; scales rhom- 

 boid, greenish, bordered with chesnut-brown, rather flat, not 

 furrowed, tips prolonged into a lanceolate, pale brown, opaque 

 acute, ciliolate, membranous appendage, longer than the scale 

 itself. Seed semiconvex, grooved ; albumen equable. 



Habitat. —Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Coco Isles. 



Uses. — The radical (not cirriferous) leaves are employed for 

 thatching, and then the plant receives the name of Hok-Neak (yx 

 Becc). 



44. C. PALUSTRLS, Griff, in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. V, 62, Palms 

 Brit. Ind. 71, t. 199 ; Mart. Hist. Nat. Pahii. Ill, 339 ; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. 

 Ill, 131 ; Walp. Ann. Ill, 490, V, 831 ; Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind. VI, 458 ; 

 Brandis Ind. Trees 654 ; Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. II, 211, Ann. Roy. 

 Bot. Gard. Calc. XI, 106, 401. — C-. latifolius, Knrz {non Roxb.) in Jour. 

 As. Soc. Beng. XLIIl, II, 210, t. 31 A ; For. Fl. II, 518 (partim). 



Vernacular Names. — Yamata (Burma), Wai (Andamans). 



Description. — Stem scandent, glabrous throughout, with the 

 sheaths about 2-3 inches in diameter. Leaves 8-12 feet long, 

 short-petioled ; leaflets 1-2 feet long, 3-5 inches broad, rather thin, 

 uniformly green, alternate, the median approximate in pairs, 

 broadly elongate-lanceolate, acuminate with bristly tips, 3-costate 

 and many-nerved, margins not thickened and costas smooth ; 

 petiole with 1-2 rows of short, very broad, fascicled or simple 

 hooked spines with swollen bases ; sheath green, sparingly armed 

 with short black or broad hooked spines. Spadix bifariously de- 

 compound, elongate, drooping. Sj)athes tubular, obliquely trun- 

 cate, armed with recurved spines ; spathels glabrous. Fruiting 

 perianth stellate. Fruit ellipsoid-oblong, about ^ inch long ; scales 

 obtuse, slightly biconvex, hardly channelled, pale brown with a 

 blackish border. Seed almost semi-convex, grooved and irregularly 

 wrinkled. 



Habitat. — Tenasserim, Perak, Andaman Islands, Nicobars. 



Flowers. — In October. 



Uses. — This calamus is used by the natives of the Andamans to 

 make knives known by the name of Wai-cho (Man, ' The Anda- 

 man Islanders,' ex Becc). 



45, C. LATIFOLIUS, Roxb. Fl. Ind. HI, 775 ; Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. 

 III. 339,t.l60, f. 5 ; Griff, in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. V, 60 ; Palms Brit. Ind. 

 68, t. 198 {e.icl. cit. Hort. Malab.) ; Kurz in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. XLIII, 

 II, {eacl. t. 31 A) ; For. Fl. II, 518 (partim) ; Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind. VI, 455, 

 {e.vcl. C. inennis, T. Anders.) ; Brandis Ind. Trees 653 ; Becc. in Rec. Bot. 

 Surv. Ind. II, 211, Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calc. XI, 107, 406.— C. macracan- 

 thus, T. Anders, in Jour. Linn. Soc. XI, 10, — C kumilis, Roxb. Fl. Ind. Ill, 

 773, 



