Its  inll()rcsc('n('c  consists  of  hrancluis  hearing  pendent  tail-like 
s[)ikes  6-12  feet  long  of  dark  brown  bracts,  enclosing  a few  vellow 
flowers. 
d'hc  fruit  of  all  these  [)lants  is  globular,  dark  red,  green  or  yellow 
and  covered  with  triangular  scales,  smooth  and  shining.  Beneath 
the  thin  outer  coat  of  scales  is  a single  round  ruminated  seed  en- 
closed in  a thin  sweet  eatable  pulp,  po[)ular  with  Malays  and  ,SM<ais. 
In  some  species  ot  J)(i^ino?2orops  the  scales  of  the  fruit  contain  a 
red  i*('sin  known  as  Dragon’s  blood,  and  used  in  medecine  and 
\\arious  arts  as  a ('olouring  mattcu*.  ddie  fruit  of  P! ccfocomia  differs 
from  that  of  the  other  rattans  in  having  the  tips  of  tlu'  scales  whic'h 
are  dark  brown  turned  up  at  th('  (uuls,  so  that  the  fruit  is  puite 
rough. 
The  rattans  grow  in  forests  usualK-  in  damp  ground,  or  on  river 
banks  often  in  great  abundance!  forming  thickets.  Imrthe  greater 
number  occur  in  the  Malay  Peninsula  and  islands,  but  Calami 
occur  in  Western  Africa,  India,  Ceylon  and  Cochin  China,  and  as 
far  North  as  Yunnan.  About  175  species  of  Calamus  77  of 
D(Pino}iorops  have  been  described,  with  20  Korthalsias,  ^ or  5 
fCectocomias,  3 or  4 Ceralolobiis,  3 Plectocomiopsis  and  one  My- 
rlalepis.  Further  research  in  our  region  will  certainly  discover  a 
considerable  additional  number,  for  it  is  by  no  means  easy  always 
to  get  flowers  and  fruit  of  these  plants,  as  many  seem  to  produce 
them  very  rarely.  At  the  same  time  there  is  very  little  doubt  that 
of  the  large  number  described,  some  book-species  arc  merely  forms 
or  based  bn  incomplete  specimens  of  other  well  kno’.rn  kinds.  Often, 
especially  in  populated  districts  the  useful  classes  of  rattans  are 
exterminated  by  the  natives  who  for  many  years  have  cut  all  the 
flowering  stems  before  producing  fruit,  so  that  eventually  the 
species  unable  to  reproduce  itself  disappears.  I was  once  struck 
by  seeing  at  Pulau  d'awar,  on  the  Pahang  river  immense  abundance 
of  Doe.monorops  criuitus^  Bl.,  not  a very  abundant  rattan  usually, 
and  absolutely  no  full  grown  plants  of  any  other  species,  but  this 
was  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  this  kind  was  considered  worth- 
less by  the  Malays,  when'as  everything  else  in  the  form  of  a rattan 
was  cut  for  sale  or  use.  It  is  in  fact  due  to  the  flowering  stems 
being  constantly  cut  before  the- fruit  is  ripe  that  the  present  su[)ply 
of  rattans  for  the  market  from  the  Peninsula  has  so  much  fallen  off 
v'-f  late  years.  The  most  imj^ortant  rattans  of  commerce  belong  to 
the  genus  Calamus  which  the  species,  as  a rule,  are  by  no  means 
heavy  fruiters.  Some  species  indeed  seem  to  produce  flowers  very 
rarely,  and  unless  there  are  both  sexes  in  flower  at  the  same  time 
in  the  neighbourhood  it  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  no  seeds  are 
[)roduced.  C.  micracanthus^  Griffith,  a very  slender  and  useful  little 
rattan  which  is  quite  common  in  many  woods,  no  one  seems  ever 
to  have  seen  flowers  or  fruit  of.  Calamus  javensis,  the  Rotan  Lilin. 
a much  sought  rattan,  floAvers  and  fruits  more  commonly  but  is  by  no 
means  a heavy  Iruiter  producing  but  few  fruits  at  the  best  of  times. 
CULTlV.VriON  AND  PREPARATION. 
,\t  present,  practically,  nearly  the  whole  supply  of  rattaqs  is 
