20J 



Nibong wood is also used for spears, and such like instruments. 



The closely ? allied Bayas, Oncosperma horrida, Bl. is distin- 

 guished at sight by its leaflets not being deflexed but spreading and 

 its larger fruit. It has much softer useless wood. 



The trunks of the big fan palms Lhistona Kingii, ''Serdang-" 

 and Pholidocarpus macrocarpa, Kupau, being very hard outside 

 are used for piles for wharfs, as they resist the water for a long 

 time. The trees attain a great height, about 80 feet, with smooth 

 trunks, about 6 or 8 inches through. As in most palms, the outside 

 of the trunk is the hard part, the inner portion being soft and 

 pithy. The stems are very heavy and the hard wood very dark 

 in colour. 



The outer portion of the stem of Arenga is very hard and durable 

 also, and in some places the trunk is split and the soft parts scooped 

 out, and the hard portion used for water conduits. 



The stems of the Betel-nut Areca catechu, L. are valued for fish- 

 ing stakes. 



PANDANE;E. 



The leaves of several of the larger Pandans are used for roofing, 

 mats, and such like work. 



Pandanus atrocarpus Griff. " Mengkuang ". 



A very large species attaining a height of 40 feet with very long 

 leaves, fruit dark brown, in cylindrical heads, 7 on a raceme, is 

 perhaps the most important species. The leaves are used for 

 coverings of ox carts (Kajangs) matting, and hats. There is a 

 regular demand for the leaves and many natives make a living by 

 cutting and drying them and working them up. 



P. fasciculan's, "Pandan Duri". 

 A shorter bushy pandan with narrower leaves and large globose 

 heads of fruits, orange or red in colour, is abundant along the sea 

 coast and is also commonly cultivated near villages for its leaves. 

 These are used for all the finer class of matting and baskets, ciga- 

 rette cases and such work and also, for roofing (ataps). The 

 leaves after collecting are prepared by cutting off the thorny edges, 

 and dried. For attaps they are merely folded over a stick and 

 sewn with a short slip of rattan. For matting they are cut into 

 slips of the required width. 



Gramine.^:. 



The only group of importance as timber, etc. is that of the 

 Bamboos (Bambusece). 



The wild Bamboos here are not very numerous, but there are 

 patches of Bamboo forest here and there in the Peninsula espe- 

 cially on the upper parts of the hills in Selangor and Perak. The 

 greater number of the indigenous species are small or slender, 

 often scandent kinds. Several introduced species are cultivated 

 or have been planted in various places, and remain long after cul- 

 tivation has been abandoned. 



The Bamboo forests of the interior chiefly consist of Oxytenan- 



