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thick  woolly  spikes.  In  several  species  there  is  at  the  top  of  the 
sheath  a swollen  ocrea  used  as  a nest  by  ants,  whence  these  rattans 
are  known  as  Rotan  Semut.  The  best  of  these  is  the  long  slender 
species  Korthalsia  scaphigera,  with  a slender  stem  50  or  60  feet 
long  and  about  a quarter  to  half  an  inch  through.  The  leaves  a 
foot  or  more,  light  green  above  white  beneath,  with  a few  rhom- 
boidal  cuneate  leaflets,  about  6 or  8 inches  long  and  2 inches  across, 
the  petiole  4 or  5 inches  long  very  thorny,  as  is  also  the  sheath. 
The  ocrea  is  rounded  about  an  inch  long.  There  is  a long  very 
slender  flagellum  at  the  end  of  the  leaf. 
. The  cane  itself  is  a quarter  of  an  inch  or  less  through,  the  joints 
not  very  conspicuous  3 or  4 inches  apart.  This  is  a very  good 
quality  rattan  for  tying,  split  rattan,  and  basket  work.  It  fruits 
abundantly  when  fully  grown,  and  grows  tolerably  fast  when  it  gets 
sufficient  light. 
K,  echinometra,  Becc.,  is  also  a common  species  and  attains  a 
length  of  60  feet  or  more,  The  leaves  are  4 feet  long  wdth  a long 
flagellum,  the  leaflets  are  narrow  green  above  and  white  beneath, 
the  ocrea  is  oblong  2 or  3 inches  long  and  armed  with  slender 
thorns,  so  that  it  is  easily  recognized.  The  cane  is  little  more  than 
5-  inch  through,  strong  and  flexible,  the  joints  not  very  conspicuous 
6 inches  apart.  It  is  browmish  in  colour  much  less  white,  than 
most  rattans. 
Plectocomin , Rotan  Dalian,  is  the  largest  rotan  in  the  Peninsula 
and  is  very  abundant.  The  stem  is  about  150  feet  or  more  long 
rooting  along  at  the  nodes  wdiere  it  touches  the  ground,  the  lease 
is  comparatively  slender,  i inch  through  with  joints  8 inches  long, 
as  it  ascends  it  thickens  rather  irregularly,  getting  thickest  at  the 
top,  about  2\  inches  through.  The  leaves  are  about  12  to  15  feet 
long  ending  in  a pow^erful  flagellum,  the  leaflets  broad  and  lanceo- 
late, 20  inches  long  green  above  white  beneath,  two  or  three  toge- 
ther wdth  a space  between.  When  the  stem  has  reached  its  full 
height  it  usually  flow^ers.  The  plants  are  unisexual.  The  inflores- 
cence is  an  enormous  mass  of  very  long  spikes  of  browm  bracts 
with  a few'  yellow  flowers  in  each.  The  fruit  as  already  described 
is  round  dark  browm  wdth  recurved  tips  to  the  small  scales. 
The  great  thickness  and  irregularity  of  diameter  of  this  rattan 
make  it  of  very  little  value  but  it  is  used  for  legs  of  long  chairs  and 
mining  baskets.  The  common  species  here  has  been  described  as 
P.  Griffithii.  1 doubt  how'ever,  that  it  is  more  than  a form  of  P. 
el  on  gat  a. 
CULTIVATIO.N  OF  RATTANS  IN  SUMATRA. 
I am  informed  that  the  Malays  at  Palembang  are  cultivating  tw'O 
species  of  rattans  for  the  market,  viz.,  Rotan  Segar  Perak  and 
Rotan  Segar  Benar.  d'he  former  is  probably  the  Calamus  calsius 
described  above.  The  latter  is  not  yet  identified.  The  seeds  are 
sold  at  50  cents  a gantaiig.  It  takes  6 or  7 years  before  the  rattans 
can  be  cut,  wTen  it  has  produced  the  seed.  The  canes  are  not  cut 
till  the  seed  is  produced. 
