Calamus latifolius

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Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
latifolius (lah-tih-fohl-EE-uhs)
Cl0014261.JPG
Photo by Paul Craft.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
Species:
latifolius (lah-tih-fohl-EE-uhs)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Asia.gif
Morphology
Habit: Clustering
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Korak bet, Horna bet.

Habitat and Distribution

INDIA (West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland), BANGLADESH.
Huntington conservatory, CA. Photo by Geoff Stein.
A component of the moist lower hill forests up to 1000 m mostly near the fresh water swamps.

Description

A moderately robust climber; stem cluster forming; with leafsheath 3 cm in diameter. Leaves curate, 2 - 3 m long; leafsheath with prominent knee, armed with subulate, sub-regularly verticillate, dark brown, 3 cm long spines; ocrea liguliform; rachis terete in cross section, without claws on the ventral side, armed only with small spicules; leaflets not many, papery, inequidis-tant on rachis, broadly lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, slightly concavo-convex, to 50 cm long, 10 cm wide at broadest part, 5-7 nerved; nerves smooth on both sides. Male inflorescence simply decompound; partial inflorescences twice branched; rachillae 3 - 4 cm long with 8-12 male flowers on each side of the rachilla; the sterile basal part of rachilla enclosed within the respective basal bracts. Male flowers 5 mm long, ovoid in bud; calyx externally striated, divided up to the middle to form 3-acute lobes. Female inflorescence simply decompound, rigid, erect not very diffuse, 60- 100 cm long, shorter than leaves; partial inflorescences 4 in number, 15 - 20 cm long, with 4 - 6 rachillae on each side, caudiform at their apices; rachillae inserted just at the mouth of the respective basal bracts; each 5 - 6 cm long, sinuous with 8-10 flowers on each side; involucrophorum enclosed in its bract, cupular; involucre concealed in the involucrophorum, visible only by the two projecting teeth on the side of neuter flower; female flowers 5 mm long; calyx finely striated, deeply divided into broad, semiovate, acute lobes; corolla lobes narrower than calyx lobes. Fruiting perianth not distinctly pedicelliform. Fruit globose, 1-seeded, dull brown to blackish, to 1.5 cm in diameter, fruit scales flattened, not distinctly channelled at middle; seed globosen blackish, roughly pitted. (J. Dransfield, Rattans (canes) in India. A Monographic Revision. 1992)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Experimental cultivation exists under D.F.O., North Silviculture, West Bengal.

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: Cane is moderately strong and used for making rough baskets, walking sticks, and furniture frames; split canes for weaving chair bottoms.

Slowly, our efforts to get the qualities of rattans as cultivated plants recognized are being rewarded, and here is another species to add to the short list of those now available for culture. While the spines may be a drawback for some, the prettiness of the young plants, and their ease and speed of growth far outweighs this, and it is certain that their popularity will be assured in the future. Calamus latifolius is a medium sized, short stemmed species with few but large, elliptic leaflets, ranging from NE-India to S-Burma. It is suited to subtropical and tropical climates. (RPS.com)



External Links

References

Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.

Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.

Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).

J. Dransfield, Rattans (canes) in India. A Monographic Revision. 1992


Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

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