View source for Calamus siamensis

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{{Palmbox
|image=cs2787894.jpg
|image_caption=Laos. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
|genus=Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
|species=<br>siamensis (siam-EN-siss)
|subspecies=
|cultivar=
|synonyms=
|continent=asia
|habit=Clustering
|leaf_type=Pinnate
|height=
|trunk_diameter=
|sun_exposure=
|watering=
|soil_type=
|common_names=wai khom, wai nam, wai deng (Lao Loum), yo (Kaleng), re dark (Alak).
}}
==Habitat and Distribution==
Thailand (North, North-east, Central, Peninsular), Laos (South) and Peninsular Malaysia. Scrub forest and degraded semi-evergreen forest; in Laos at 100 m, in Thailand at 0 - 300 m. 
[[File:Calamus-siamensis-var-malaianus.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Photo-Malaysian Biological Diversity]]
==Description==
The varieties cannot be maintained because the arrangement of leaflets can be observed varying from regularly arranged to irregularly pinnate between leaves on a single stem in southern Laos. As described under C. viminalis the presence of paired female flowers flanking many of the neuter flowers can no longer be considered diagnostic of C. siamensis. Indeed, as has been suggested by Hodel & Vatcharakorn (1998), there may be a case for synonymising the two species. However, we believe it is useful to maintain two names for the following reasons: (i) all plants we have encountered so far can easily be assigned between the two forms (even when growing admixed in a single forest patch, as on Khone island, southern Laos) depending on whether the leaflets are either divaricate, tightly grouped and plumose with a moderate petiole, or roughly parallel, interruptedly pinnate to regular and arranged in a single plane with a shorter petiole; (ii) the two forms occupy a different range of habitats, at least in Laos, with C. siamensis being a localised, southern species of floodplain thickets and forest and C. viminalis being a highly catholic species occurring throughout the country, typically in hot, dry, low- stature scrub but occasionally also evergreen formations; (iii) the two forms are both major commercial species in North-east Thai plantations for shoot production and they are recognised by growers as distinct entities requiring distinct names. When we visited the plantations in North-east Thailand we found that the scientific names were being consistently misapplied, a fact which could prevent the successful sharing of data with other teams developing rattan plantations. Plants of C. viminalis Willd. were being referred to verbally and in print (Kundilok et al. 1997, Jarernrattawong 1997) as C. siamensis whereas plants matching C. siamensis Becc. were being referred to as Calamus sp. The root of this error may be that the plantation specialists had referred to misidentified material in BKF. Of the five specimens of C. viminalis at BKF in June 2000 three had been identified as C. siamensis, one named Calamus sp., and one correctly named, whilst two other sheets named C. viminalis were in fact C. henryanus and one was a very distinct Peninsular species with which TDE was not familiar. Of the four C. siamensis specimens, two had been correctly named, one was labelled Calamus sp. and the fourth was named C. acanthophyllus. (J. Dransfield, A Synopsis of the Rattans (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) of Laos and Neighbouring Parts of Indochina. 2002)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.
==Culture==

==Comments and Curiosities==
Uses: Cane suitable for handicrafts and also in trade, shoots edible. We have observed large plantations of this species for edible shoot production in North-east Thailand. It was in cultivation around Chiang Mai as long ago as 1915.

Conservation: Unknown, but probably not of great concern.

A moderate, clustering rattan palm widespread in rainforests from Indi-China to Burma and the Malay Peninsula. Its leaves can be quite variable in appearance, with leaflets regularly arranged or tightly clustered in groups of 2 to 10. It is closely related to Calamus viminalis, which has a more plumose leaf. A robust rattan best suited to the tropics. (RPS.com)

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<center><gallery caption="IMAGE GALLERY" perrow="4" widths="300px" heights="300px" mode="packed">
File:cs2787895.jpg|Laos. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. 
File:cs2787894.jpg|Laos. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
File:cs2787893.jpg|Laos. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
File:Calamus-siamensis-var-malaianus.jpg|Photo-Malaysian Biological Diversity
File:Calamus_siamensis_stem.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:Calamus_siamensis_specimen.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:cs0021651.JPG|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:calamus-siamensis_01-09_01.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:calamus-siamensis_01-09_02.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:calamus-siamensis_01-09_03.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:calamus-siamensis_01-09_04.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:cs0081543.JPG|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:cs0012632.jpg|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:cs900321.JPG|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:cs00165123.JPG|Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft.
File:csIMG_5419.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:csIMG_5415.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:16273488049_f395b72769_o.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:16273564559_2839eddb1b_o.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:16459818505_0d77e76f76_o.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:15622458316_3fd29c72dd_o.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:15460024867_34e68125d8_o.jpg|Ban Muang, Tambon Muang Yai, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
File:calamus-siamensis.jpg|Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com
File:cs0023176.JPG


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==External Links==
*[http://eunops.org/content/glossary-palm-terms Glossary of Palm Terms]
*[http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pronunciation.html MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN]
*[http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/Pronunciation.htm "Just To Be Clear"]
==References==
Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric. 

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

Special thanks to [http://palmweb.org/?q=node/2 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, A Synopsis of the Rattans (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) of Laos and Neighbouring Parts of Indochina. 2002

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[[Category:CALAMUS|siamensis]]