View source for Korthalsia robusta

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{{Palmbox
|image=kr2788029.jpg
|image_caption=Kiu, Meratus Mountains, Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia. by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. 
|genus=Korthalsia (kohr-tahl-SEE-ah)
|species=<br>robusta (roh-BOOS-tah)
|subspecies=
|cultivar=
|synonyms=
|continent=asia
|habit=Clustering
|leaf_type=Pinnate
|height=
|trunk_diameter=
|sun_exposure=
|watering=
|soil_type=
|common_names=wi asas (Ib.), waeperah (Pen.)
}}
==Habitat and Distribution==
Borneo, Philippines, and Sumatera. Widespread throughout the lowlands of Sarawak. [[File:kr2788030.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sepilok, Sabah, Malaysia. by Dr. William J. Baker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.]]Elsewhere widespread in Borneo; uncommon in Sumatra, and Palawan. K. robusta is particularly abundant in disturbed alluvial forest, especially on the banks of slowly flowing rivers.
==Description==
Robust clustering and branching rattan climbing to 30 m or more. Stem without sheaths to 2.5 cm in diam., with to 3.5 cm in diam., internodes to 20 cm. Sheaths mid green with scattered black spines to 1 cm and abundant floccose chocolate- and buff-coloured scales; ocrea very conspicuous, to 30 x 7 cm, pale brown, diverging from the stem at an acute angle, the margins tending to inroll, armed with abundant black spines to 2 cm and floccose chocolate coloured scales; ants usually abundant and very noisy. Leaf to 3 m long including the cirrus to 1.75 m and petiole to 20 cm; leaflets to 10 on each side of the rachis, broad rhomboid, to 25 x 10 cm, bright green on upper surface, whitish beneath. Inflorescences congested at the stem tip, forming a large club-like mass to 40 cm in diam., bracts large and somewhat inflated; rachillae robust, to 15 x 3 cm, covered in conspicuous triangular bracts. Mature fruit to 4 x 2.5 cm, tipped by stigma to 6 mm, and covered in 18 vertical rows of mid brown scales with darker intramarginal bands and straw-coloured margins. Seed to 2.5 x 1.5 cm; endosperm homogeneous. Seedling leaf not known. (J. Dransfield, The Rattans of Sarawak. 1992)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

It and K. hispida together stand apart from other species of the genus by virtue of their ocreas which do not enclose the stem but diverge from it at an acute angle. K. robusta is easily distinguished from K. hispida by the absence of minute black spicules on the sheaths, ocreas and bracts, and by the very congested inflorescences' K. hispida and K. robusta are noisy rattans; ants in the ocreas when disturbed make a strange rustling noise by banging their abdomens against the dry ocreas. Ants in one ocrea are ± in unison, followed by ants in the next ocrea and so on. When disturbed too much the ants rush out, and, like those of other ant species of Korthalsia are very fierce, thus making this rattan very unpleasant and difficult to collect. (J. Dransfield, The Rattans of Sarawak. 1992)/Palmweb.
==Culture==
Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b
==Comments and Curiosities==
Etymology: Specific epithet from the Latin - robusta, literally; robust.

Uses: Yields a coarse rotan merah.

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<center><gallery caption="IMAGE GALLERY" perrow="4" widths="300px" heights="300px" mode="packed">
File:kr2788030.jpg|Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sepilok, Sabah, Malaysia. by Dr. William J. Baker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. 
File:kr2788032.jpg|Kiu, Meratus Mountains, Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia. by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. 
File:2788031.jpg|Kiu, Meratus Mountains, Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia. by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. 
File:kr2788029.jpg|Kiu, Meratus Mountains, Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia. by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. 
File:korthalsia-robusta-rattan-palm-on-banks-of-small-river-in-tropical-A4WXT0.jpg|Tropical rain forest Malaysia, Borneo Sarawak.
</gallery></center>
==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, The Rattans of Sarawak. 1992

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[[Category:KORTHALSIA|robusta]]