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 raLans 
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 aboyt 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. eci/inometra, Becc., is also a common species and attains a 
length of 60 feet or more. The leaves are 4 feet long with 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 
| inch through, strong and flexible, the joints not very conspicuous 
6 inches apart. It is brownish in colour much less white, than 
most rattans. 
Plectocomia , Rotan Dahan, 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 where it touches the ground, the lease 
is comparatively slender, 1 inch through with joints 8 inches long, 
as it ascends it thickens rather irregularly, getting thickest at the 
top, about inches through. The leaves are about 12 to 15 feet 
long ending in a powerful flagellum, the leaflets broad and lanceo- 
late, 20 inches long green above white beneath, two or three toge- 
ther with a space between. When the stem has reached its full 
height it usually flowers. The plants are unisexual. The inflores- 
cence is an enormous mass of very long spikes of brown bracts 
with a few yellow flowers in each. The fruit as already described 
is round dark brown with 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. I doubt however, that it is more than a form of P. 
el on gat a. 
Cultivation of Rattans in Sumatra. 
I am informed that the Malays at Palembang are cultivating two 
species of rattans for the market, vie., Rotan Segar Perak and 
Rotan Segar Benar. The former is probably the Calamus calsius 
described above. The latter is not yet identified. The seeds are 
sold at 50 cents a gantang. It takes 6 or 7 years before the rattans 
can be cut, when it has produced the seed. The canes are not cut 
till the seed is produced. 
