Plectocomia himalayana
| Plectocomia (plehk-toh-cohm-EE-ah) himalayana (him-ah-leh-AHN-ah) | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
INDIA (Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh). Endemic. Plectomia himalayana
Description
A high climbing rattan; stem clustering, with leafsheath 2-4 cm in diameter. Leaves cirrate about 2.5 m long; leafsheath semi-woody, covered outside with spirally disposed 1.5-2 cm long needle-like brown spines; petiole absent in adult leaves; rachis 3 cm broad, armed below with single row of digitate claws; leaflets alternate to irregularly disposed on rachis, 5-nerved, 30 - 40 cm long, 2-3 cm broad at middle. Inflorescence with 1 m - 1.5m long pendulous primary flower branches; primary bracts tubular, obliquely truncate with triangular appendage on one side, tomentose at base; flower branches 60-80 cm long, slender, sinuous, covered with alternate, triangular-ablong, acute to acuminate, 4-5 cm long, 5 cm broad bracts; bracteoles in male rachilla subulate; male flowers sessile, trigonous, 7-8mm long; petals much longer than calyx, lanceolate, acuminate; stamens with subulate filaments; anthers broadly linear, 4 mm long; pistillode with 3 rudimentary papillae. Female flowers about 9 in number in each bract, biseriate; each 8 - 9 mm long; calyx shortly cupular, with 3 long, acuminate teeth; corolla with 3 concave acuminate petals; ovary globose with non-laciniate scales; stigma sessile, trigonous. Fruit 1.5 cm in diameter, not wooly outside; fruit scales numerous arranged in longitudinal series with pappilose margins and obtuse tips; seed orbicular, depressed, 1 cm in diameter. (S.K. Basu, Rattans (canes) in India. A Monographic Revision. 1992)/Palmweb. Editing b6y edric.
Culture
Cold Hardiness Zone: 9a
Comments and Curiosities
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Uses: Canes are soft and therefore unsuitable for furniture making; used by the hill people for tying fences and for making tea baskets for plucked tea-leaves. Can you imagine a climbing palm that grows through the tree tops, up to 80 feet tall, and is annually covered by FROST and SNOW!!?? Well, we couldn't either, until we saw the photographs to prove it, and then finally saw the plant in the flesh. From north-east India, it is a suckering species that everyone will want to try. The Himalaya Rattan Palm has elegantly arching, light green leaves, each of which is equipped with a long cirrus for climbing; oval leaflets; and fairly thin, long, suckering canes. It is very fast growing and best suited to temperate and subtropical climates. (RPS.com) "This is one of the most ornamental as well as hardy of all the rattan palms. It has beautiful linear arrays of yellow spines that coil around the trunks and branches making a most ornamental pattern. However, it is quite a dangerous palm if you're not careful. In tropical climates, like Hawaii, this palm grows frighteningly fast and soon is climbing and falling all over your hugest of trees threatening to collapse and you and anyone who enters your yard. Leaves are wide, green green and lancelote. I grew this palm as a dinky seedling and it never had any problem with cold, heat, drought etc in zone 9b." (Geoff Stein) |
- IMAGE GALLERY
Sana Cruz Mountains. San Francisco, CA. Photo by Kyle Wicomb.
Sana Cruz Mountains. San Francisco, CA. Photo by Kyle Wicomb.
Sana Cruz Mountains. San Francisco, CA. Photo by Kyle Wicomb.
Sana Cruz Mountains. San Francisco, CA. Photo by Kyle Wicomb.
Sana Cruz Mountains. San Francisco, CA. Photo by Kyle Wicomb.
San Francisco Botanical Garden in California. Photo by Paul Craft.
San Francisco Botanical Garden in California. Photo by Paul Craft.
Plectocomia himalayana, near Kalimpong, India.
Chonburi, Thailand. Photo by Jakkrit.
Orange county, California. Photo by Geoff Stein.
Orange county, California. Photo by Geoff Stein.
Hawaii. Photo by Geoff Stein.
H.P. Leu Gardens, Orlando, Florida. Photo by Geoff Stein.
SoCal. Photo by Geoff Stein.
SoCal. Photo by Geoff Stein.
Southern California conservatory. Photo by Geoff Stein.
Photo by Geoff Stein.
Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. Photo by Dr. Axel Kratel.
Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. Photo by Dr. Axel Kratel.
San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly known as Strybing Arboretum). Photo by Eric Hunt.
San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly known as Strybing Arboretum). Photo by Eric Hunt.
SoCal. Photo: Jungle Music Palms & Cycads.com
SoCal. Photo: Jungle Music Palms & Cycads.com
SoCal. Photo: Jungle Music Palms & Cycads.com
SoCal. Photo: Jungle Music Palms & Cycads.com
P. himalayana stems are cooked and eaten as a vegetable in Bhutan
Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com
Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com
Image: efloras.org
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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.
