Calamus bousigonii
Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs) bousigonii (booz-ih-GOHN-ee) | |||||||
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Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Calamus bousigonii ssp. bousigonii. Photo by Dr. Scott Zona. | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Central and southern Vietnam in lowland or montane rain forest at 100-1600 m elevation (also in Cambodia and Thailand). Tropical Moist Forest.
Description
Stems clustered or solitary, climbing, to 20 m long and 2 cm in diameter. Leaf sheaths green, mottled with whitish-brown hairs, with sparsely to densely arranged, yellowish-brown, swollen-based, to 1.3 cm long spines; ocreas short, not spiny; knees present; flagella present, to 1.5 m long; rachis to 1 m long with 5-10, rhomboidal leaflets per side, these regularly arranged, with bristly margins; cirri absent. Inflorescences to 1.1 m long, flagellate; bracts tubular; fruits globose, to 1.4 cm long diameter, yellowish; endosperm ruminate. (Henderson, A.J., A New Species of Calamus (Palmae) from Taiwan in Taiwania 50 (3). 2005)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.
Culture
Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b
Comments and Curiosities
There are two subspecies: C. bousigonii subsp. bousigonii in Vietnam and Cambodia, and subsp. smitinandii J. Dransf., with more deeply split inflorescence bracts, in Peninsular Thailand. (Henderson, A.J., A New Species of Calamus (Palmae) from Taiwan in Taiwania 50 (3). 2005)/Palmweb.
Uses: Produces a cane used in tying.
Phenology: flowers July; fruits April.
Conservation: Widespread and common, but intensively harvested.
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).
Henderson, A.J., A New Species of Calamus (Palmae) from Taiwan in Taiwania 50 (3). 2005
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.