Its inflorescence consists of branches bearing pendent tail-like 
spikes 6-1 2 feet long of dark brown bracts, enclosing a few yellow 
flowers. 
1 he fruit of all these plants 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, popular with Malays and Sakais. 
In some species of Dcemonorops the scales of the fruit contain a 
red resin known as Dragon’s blood, and used in medecine and 
various arts as a colouring matter. The fruit of Plectocomia differs 
from that of the other rattans in having the tips of the scales which 
are dark brown turned up at the ends, so that the fruit is quite 
rough. 
1 he rattans grow in forests usually in damp ground, or on river 
banks often in great abundance forming thickets. Far the 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 and 77 of 
Dcemonorops have been described, with 20 Korthalsias , 4 or 5 
PlectocomiaSy 3 or 4 Ceralolobus , 3 Plectocorniopsis and one My- 
nalepis . 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’are merely forms 
or based on incomplete specimens of other well known 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. 1 was once struck 
by seeing at Pulau I avvar, on the Pahang river immense abundance 
of Dcemonorops crinitus , 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, whereas 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 supply 
of rattans for the market from the Peninsula lias so much fallen off 
< f late years. The most important 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 
produced. 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 Lllin, 
a much sought rattan, flowers and fruits more commonly but is by no 
means a heavy fruiter producing but few fruits at the best of times. 
Cultivation and Preparation. 
At present, practically, nearly the whole supply of rattans is 
