778 DiOECiA HKXANDRiA. Calamiis. 



Beng. Bet, or Sanclii-bet. 



I camiot take upon me to quote any of Ruinpliiiis's figures 

 for this plant. It is a native of Bengal, and the Corouiandel 

 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. 5'^emjoined, climbing to a vast extent, en- 

 veloped in the thorny sheaths of the leaves ; with them it is 

 about as thick as a man's little finger ; when they are removed, 

 it is in thickness, and every other respect, a common ratan. 

 Leaves pinnate, from eighteen to thirty six-inches long. 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 

 side. Flagelli, one from the slieath of each leaf near its mouth 

 they are very long, slender, drooping or waving, and well 

 armed, 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. Male. Calyx universal ; spathe none ; 

 partial many, scattered. Spad'ix supra-decompound, droop- 

 ing, being the above mentioned flagelli much enlaiged, 

 with numerous, partial, truncate spathes, with alternate, de- 

 compound, bifarious, recurved spikes therefrom, the ramifica- 

 tions thereof recurved, bearing in two rows on their convex 

 sides numerous minute greenish flowers. Perianth three- 

 parted, smaller than the corul, permanent. Corol one-parted. 

 Tube imperforated. Border three-parted ; divisions oval, 

 permanent. Filaments 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. Female. Calyx; sheaths as in the 

 male. Spudix decompound, perianth and corol as in the 



