The flowers I have not seen but the fruit spray is very large and 
stout several feet long with long branches, the spathes armed with 
very short sharp thorns with swollen bases. The fruit is oblong 2 
an inch long, shortly beaked yellow with about 14 rows of rather 
small scales, longer than broad grooved down the centre, yellow with 
a slightly darker edge. The fruit is pedicelled by the rather large 
cylindric broad based calyx. c 
' I suppose this is BlUME’S C. ccesius, which was collected at Ur>t 
in Borneo, but of which he only saw a leaf. He mentions that the 
traders esteem if as a rattan and says it is called in Borneo Rotau 
Latong and andjan-jan. . . , 
Rotan Batu, Calamus insionis is another very slender rattan 
which is much sought by rattan collectors. The stems are not 
more than half an inch through, and fifty or sixty feet long, light 
men and sometimes marbled with bars of grey when young. 1 he 
sheaths bear long thorny flagella. The leaves are about two feet 
loner with a long thorny leaf-stalk and usually 2 pairs ol broad 
oblong lanceolate leaflets 8 inches long 2^ inches wide, but there 
are often more leaflets. The leaf-stalk is not swollen at the base 
where it leaves the sheath, but above it is a distinct brown lanceo- 
late ligule. The upper pair of leaflets are joined at the base. All 
are bright green. There is often a flagellum from between the 
two upper leaflets. The flowers seem never to have been met with. 
This rattan occurs in woods all over the Peninsula and ^-espe- 
cially valued for tying fishing stakes and such like work 
Rotan Lilin Calamus javensis is another ot the slender rattans 
of the same style as the Kotan Segar. 1 he stems are twenty or 
thirty feet long green and armed with short sharp thorns. 
The leaves about a foot long bear broadly lanceolate acute leaf- 
lets 6 inches long and 1-2 inches wide in gasciles of two or three 
together, or solitary about 7 to 13 to a leaf, green, or m the lulls 
purplish, on both sides, the lowest pair of leaves are deflexed over 
the stem as if clasping it. The upper leaves end in long very slen- 
der flagella. The flower sprays are very long and slender with only 
a few spikes of flowers at the end of the long peduncle. 
This rattan is common in our woods, and is known by the names 
Rotan Sindek and Rotan Tungul besides Rotan Lilin. 1 he rattan 
as prepared is smooth and white £ of an inch through with incon- 
spicuous points some inches apart, so that it is very suitable for 
basket work. 
To be continued. 
FUNTUMIA ELASTICA. 
The following notes on the Silk Rubber of Lagos are taken from 
an article by M. E. De WlLDEMAN published in the Revue des 
Cultures Coloniales. . t Af . 
The plant is specially cultivated at present in Western Africa in 
the Concro Free State and on the Cameroons, and is according to 
the author the best rubber plant to cultivate in these regions, and 
