264 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. [C. tenuis. 
the largest 15-20 cm. ong, bearing on each side 7-10 distichous spikelets; 
primary spathes as in the male spadix; secondary spathes tubular-infundibuliform, 
6-10 mm. long, closely sheathing, unarmed, obliquely truncate and entire at the 
mouth, apiculate at one side; spikelets arched, spreading or deflexed, inserted above 
the mouth of their own spathe with a distinct axillary callus, 2-4 cm. long 
spathels shortly tubular-infundibuliform, truncate at the mouth; involucrophorum 
subdiscoid, almost exsert from its own spathel and sometimes subpedicellate, laterally 
attached to the base of the spathel above its own, distinctly callous at its axilla 
next to the axis; involucre subdiscoid or almost flat; areola of the neuter flower 
depressedly lunate. Flowers of the young spikelets very distinctly 4-seriate, each 
female flower being accompanied by a well-developed neuter flower, Female flowers 
ovate, small, 3 mm. long; calyx shortly 3-toothed; corolla as long as the calyx, 
divided down almost to the base into 3 lanceolate acute segments; stamens with 
filaments forming a cup by their connate bases and subulate in the free portion; 
anthers sagittate. Neuter flowers thinner, but almost as long as the female ones 
Fruiting perianth distinctly pedicelliform, the calyx callous at the base, cylindraceous, 
about 1:5 mm. thick. Fruit globose or slightly longer than broad, 10—11 mm. in diam. 
shortly but distinctly and acutely beaked, 12 mm. long, including the beak but not 
the pedicelliform perianth ; scales in 15 series, narrowly channelled along the middle, 
pale-yellowish, shining, with short, rather obtuse, usually dark tip; margins scarious, 
pale or brownish, finely erosely toothed. Seed ovoid, rounded at both ends, about 
8 mm. in length and 5-6 mm. thick, irregularly grooved and coarsely pitted on the 
back, with a rather deep round chalazal fovea in the centre of the raphal side; 
albumen equable; embryo basal, | 
Hasrrar.—In North India from Kumaon eastwards to Burma and Cochinchina: 
N. W. India, Royle in Herb. Petrop,; the Bhábars in Kumaon, Strachey & Winter- 
bottom in Herb. Kew; at Goyalpara in the Prov. of Rungpura, Hamilton ; 
frequent in Oriental Bengal and Assam; West Duars at Muraghat, Gamble; Silhet, 
Roxburgh; Chittagong, Hooker f. & Thomson. [n Burma at Rangoon, McClelland in H. 
Kew; at Scinego on the High Irawaddy, Fea in Herb. Becc.; in Lower Cochin- 
china, on the mountains Dinh (Mu-xoai) near Baria, Pierre. 
The Rotang of this species is very much used for domestic work. It is called 
Jatee Bhet” in Assam and "^ May dan" in Cochinchina. 
OsszRvaTioNS.— Distinguished from the allied species by its numerous equidistant 
linear-ensiform three-costate leaflets, the 4 costae bristly above, and beneath only the 
mid-costa sparingly spinulous. Peculiar characters of C. tenuis are also the male 
spikelets which, when fully charged with flowers, are like those of a Digitaria ; the 
male flowers quite exsert from the involucres and with a corolla with an unusually long 
tube; the female flowers completely exsert from the involucres and accompanied by a 
very well developed neuter flower, so that the female spikelets when young have 4 
distinct series of flowers. ! 
In some specimens of C. tenuis originally coming from Chittagong and cultivated 
at Buitenzorg, the spines of the leaf-sheaths have their base so extended at the sides 
and the point on the spine so little evolute that one spine being in contact with the 
