Calamus muelleri
Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs) muelleri (moo-ehl-lehr'-ee) | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Calamus muelleri is endemic to New South Wales, Queensland, Australia. Grows in rainforest on the coast and lower ranges.Description
Climbers with spines, and slender cane-like stems to 20 m high, dioecious. Leaves alternate, ± sessile, with hooked spines on the rachis and sheath; lamina pinnate, about 30–50 cm long; segments ± oblanceolate, 9–12, 10–20 cm long, 3–6 cm wide; rachis 16–25 cm long, spiny, very thorny stems, and long modified inflorescences covered in backwards pointing hooks. These are used as an aid to climbing, but are also very successfull in snagging clothes and flesh of anyone passing. It often requires a great deal of care to extracate oneself from these hooks without drawing blood, (hence the common names). Sterile inflorescences to 1.2 m long. Fertile inflorescence of 2 or 3 simple panicles, about 1 m long, the terminal end without flowers or spines. Flowers greenish. Male flowers with outer perianth about 2 mm long; inner tepals 3, 4–5 mm long; stamen 6. Female flowers with outer perianth 1–2 mm long; inner tepals 3 mm long; ovary 3-locular, covered with imbricate scales. Fruit globose, about 12 mm in diam., covered with scales, yellow to cream. Editing by edric.
Culture
Prefers it shady and moist. One of the more cold tolerant of the Calamus.
Comments and Curiosities
Aboriginal people used the stems for weaving. Surveyors in the early part of European settlement used one chain lengths of the stems as standard measures.
External Links
- Glossary of Palm Terms
- MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN
- "Just To Be Clear"
- Click on Arecacaea, for list of photos
- http://rainforest-australia.com/Wait-a-While.htm
- Australian Palms, By John Leslie Dowe
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 photo.
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).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.