Rattans
Family Palmae (or Arecaceae)
Calamus sp., rattans (Cal. sp 1), are climbing palms, belonging to several genera and species occurring in the Indo-Malaysian region. The flexible stems may reach almost 200 m, varying in thickness from 0.3-3 cm. They creep by means of modified leaf tips or leaf sheaths, barbed with recurved spines (Cal. sp 3) which hook onto the vegetation over which they clamber. Calamus-rattans are dioecious with pinnate leaves and elongated inflorescences (Cal. sp 2) bearing flowers in 2 rows.
Use
The canes are usually obtained from wild plants (Cal. sp 4), cut into pieces of about 5 m, cleaned and dried. They are exported to the US, Europe and the Far East. In Asia the thicker rattans are used for making furniture and bridges for which no nails are needed. The outer stem can also be split to produce strips that can be used for baskets, chair seats, bags etc.