216 AN ACCOUNT OF A BOTANICAL EXPEDITION 



A very unrattan-like plant, so much so that my 

 Malay plant-collector took it for a Bactris before we 

 found the inflorescence. It is abominably armed with 

 sharp spines, and we found it most troublesome to get 

 through the clumps of it. 

 C. siamensis, Becc. A low bushy rattan hardly rising more 

 than six feet tall in open country, in Kedah near Bukit 

 Pinang, Alor Sta, Perlis near Kanga and Setul. The 

 commonest rattan here. The leaves are bright green 

 with numerous narrow T pinnae close together, armed on 

 the back of the rachis with pale yellowish spines, li inch 

 long, needle-like and straight. The male spadix is about 

 two feet long, the lowest sheath flattened, scurfy, armed 

 with straight, horizontal spines, i inch long, the stem 

 above this is armed with short, thick hooks, 1 to 4 together 

 with a thick base, the upper sheaths less armed. There 

 are four sheaths and as many panicles and the spadix 

 ends in a whip (flagellum) 2 feet long, slender with pairs 

 of short bull's horn shaped hooks. The panicles are 3 or 

 ■I inches long. Secondary spathes unarmed dilated up- 

 wards, smooth with a round mouth and an ovate, acute 

 limb. The branches are l\ to 2 inches long, densely 

 crowded with flowers, which are in twos or threes in 

 short cup shaped, acute spathellules, tV> inch long. The 

 calyx lobes are rather long, lanceate, acute. Petals lanceo- 

 late, nearly half as long again, acute. The female spadix 

 is figured by Beccari who points out that it is peculiar in 

 having the female flow T ers in pairs, but as his figure 

 shows and as is shown too by my fruiting specimens, 

 many of the flowers are solitary, though pairs do occur. 

 The spadix branches are about 7 feet in length. The 

 fruit is globose, i inch through, creamy white in colour, 

 the scales in about 6 rows, smooth, polished, as broad as 

 long and obtuse with a small light brown tip. Seed 

 orbicular, very rugose, flattened, i inch long, i inch thick, 

 the albumen is not ruminate. It has only previously 

 been collected in Bangkok. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



