Calamus speciosissimus

Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs) speciosissimus (speh-see-oh-sihs-SEE-muhs)
Kuantan, Malaysia. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs) Species: speciosissimus (speh-see-oh-sihs-SEE-muhs)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
rotan sega badak; (Malaysia), Wai teng (หวายเต็ง) (Narathiwat)

Habitat and Distribution

Malaya. Trengganu, Selangor, Pahang, Johore, Negri Sembilan, Malacca: Endemic.

Kuantan, Malaysia. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.

Widespread rattan of lowland forest especially of alluvial forest and fresh water swamp forest. It is occasionally found on dry land near to swamps but has not been found on steep slopes on ridgetops. It has not been found above 200 m altitude.

Description

Clustering moderate-sized rattan. Stems to 25 m long, without sheaths to 1.2 cm diam., with sheaths to 2.2 cm diam., internodes to 30 cm long, usually shorter in mature stems. Leaves ecirrate; emerging leaf pinkish tinged, all parts drying blackish coloured; sheath rich dark green, with very variable armature, sometimes unarmed, or sparsely armed with dark green spines to 2 cm long, or very densely armed with bulbous-based spines to 1 cm, the bulbous bases sometimes confluent; knee conspicuous; ocrea inconspicuous; flagellum to 2–4 m long; petiole very short, usually not exceeding 5 cm long, in juveniles much longer and armed with straw-coloured spines; rachis to 1.5 m long, sparsely armed as the sheath; leaflets to 14 on each side of the rachis, broad lanceolate, cucullate, dull dark green, ± unarmed, the longest to 35 x 7 cm, the apical pair joined basally for about 1/3 their length, transverse veinlets inconspicuous. Inflorescences flagellate, to 4 m long, pendulous with up to 12 partial inflorescences, the male branched to 3 orders, the female to 2 orders; rachillae rather distant, the male to 4 x 0.2 cm, the female to 10 x 0.4 cm. Mature fruit rounded, c. 1 cm diam., with a short beak to 0.1 cm long, and covered in 15–18 vertical rows of pale dull green scales, drying mid brown. Seed rounded, c. 0.7 cm diam., slightly pitted; endosperm homogeneous. Seedling leaf bifid with broad lanceolate leafets.

Clustering moderate sized rattan with stems climbing to 25 m tall. Stem without sheaths to 1.2 cm in diameter, with sheaths to 2.2 cm in diameter, with internodes to 30 cm long, usually shorter on mature stems. All parts drying dull dirty blackish. Sheaths rick dark green variable in armature, varying from unarmed to sparsely armed with dark green spines to 2 cm long to densely armed with bulbous-based reflexed spines to 1 cm long, the bulbous bases frequently confluent. Flagellum to 2 m long. Ocrea inconspicuous. Knee well-developed. Young leaf flushed pinkish. Leaf ecirrate, usually with petiole not exceeding 5 cm, to 1 m in all with up to about 10 broad cucculate dull dark green leaflets on either side, the terminal two slightly joined below, ± unarmed, the longest to about 35 cm long by 7 cm wide. Juvenile leaves with straw-coloured petiole spines. Inflorescences male and female superficially similar, to 2 m long bearing up to 12 partial inflorescences to 60 cm long. Partial inflorescences bearing up to 12 rachillae on each side, male rachillae to 4 cm long, female to 10 cm. Ripe fruit rounded, to about 1 cm in diameter very shortly beaked with the stigmatic remains (about 1 mm high), covered in 15-18 vertical rows of pale dull green scales (drying mid-brown). Seed about 7 mm in diameter, slightly pitted. Endosperm ± homogeneous. Seedling leaf bifid. (J. Dransfield, A Manual of the rattans of the Malay Peninsula. Malayan Forest Records 29.. 1979)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: Speciosissimus - From the Latin; very beautiful.

Uses: Produces a good cane of appearance very similar to that of "rotan sega" - possibly it is mixed with sega in commerce.