-106 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. (D. Draco. 
Palmijuncus Draco Rumph. Herb. Amb. 114, pl. 58 f. A. B. 
Drakenbloeds Rottang Valentyn, Beschr. Amb. iii, 218, pl. XLIX. 
Rotang Dsjerenang Kaempf, Amoen. Exot. 554, 
Descriprion.—Scandent, of moderate size, Leaf-sheaths strongly gibbous under 
the base of the petiole, armed with elongate, needle-like, seriate, erect (deciduous ?) 
spines, Leaves have a rather elongate and laterally prickly petiole, and a rachis armed 
on the upper surface with ascendent straight  spinules |. and clawed underneath. 
Leaflets 30 cm. long, 2 cm. broad, rather numerous, and remotely sub-equidistant, 
linear-lanceolate, acuminate, ciliate on the margins, and bristly on 3 nerves on both 
surfaces, Female spadiz erect or nodding, 60-75 cm.. lorg on. the whole; the 
flowering panicle has 5-6 short partial inflorescences, each carrying a few thick 
scantily-flowered spikelets; the peduncular part is rather slender, and is more or less 
armed with short, Dilista, divergent spines. Fruit very slightly narrower in its upper 
part than at its base, but not distinctly pyriform. 
Hanrrar.—' The S. E, coast of Sumatra at Palembang (Rumph).  Referable to D. 
Draco are, I believe, two specimens collected in the Residency of Palembang by 
Teijsmann, of which one from Muara dua consists of only a spadix with very young 
fruit (No. 3590 Herb. Hort, Bogor: and the other from Batu Radja Herb. Hort. 
Bogor. No. 3588) which is only a portion of a fruiting spadix, but not one of the 
fruits is left entire. No other parts of the plant are present. 
OsseRvATIoNs.—Only the Pulmijuneus Draco growing at Palembang, described and 
figured by Ruinph (l. e.) can be considered as being the true D. Draco, Blume 
writes that the figure of Palmijuncus Draco given by Rumph, which represent the 
true D. Draco W. Draco Willd.) is mediocre and false, as to the fruit. I believe, 
however, that it is fairly good for his time, as there isa small group of Dragon's blood. 
yielding Daemonorops (D. micracanthus and D. Draconcellus ) which have the leaf-sheaths 
‘armed with small, seriate, erect, t, (usually deciduous) spines, and also a slightly conieally- 
ovoid fruit. In Rumph’s plate the leaves appear non-cirriferous, only because they 
were sent to him without their terminal appendage, and the fruit appears not quite 
full grown. Daemonorops Draco of Martius is apparently the true Calamus Draco Willd. 
as to the fruit represented in Plate 175 f. x. 1 of the Hist. Nat. Palm. iii, while 
it is D. propinquus Becc. in respect to the figures x. 3. 5. 6 of the same plate. 
. Further the fruit represented in Plate 116 fig. ix of the Hist. Nat. Palm. iii, 
as that of C. Draco (see the text p. 2il, first edit.) is not certainly that of this 
species. 
‘The description of D. Draco as given ay Blume is an. Bes of the 
characteristics of more than one species, in which are also. incorporated those of the 
‘true D. Draco. I have been able to ascertain this fact by .the inspection of a good 
‘part of the material examined by Blume himself and kindly forwarded to me by 
the late Dr. Boerlage. Amongst this material together with some portions of 
leaves that . really do belong to a species of the JD. Draco group, I bave found 
other portions belonging to the group of  D.' melenochastes, The leaflets 
which do really seem to be those of D. Draco from Palembang are 37 em, 
