Calamus oligostachys

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Scientific Classification
Genus: Enter a value. Species: oligostachys
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Wai kra ting (หวายกระทิง) (Thailand) wai kating (Lao Loum).

Habitat and Distribution

Indochinese endemic. Thailand (North-east) and Laos (Central). In Laos in silty bamboo scrub close to a seasonal stream at 150 m, in Thailand in tropical moist forest at 200 m. [[]]

Description

Slender, clustering rattan. Stem climbing to 7 m or more long, often flowering when less than 2 m long, without sheaths to 0.5 cm diam., with sheaths 0.5–1 cm diam.; internodes 10–15 cm long. Leaf ecirrate; sheath green, sparsely armed with yellow-brown, horizontal or slightly ascending spines, 0.2–0.7 cm long with very slightly swollen bases; ocrea very small, unarmed, marcescent; knee present; flagellum to 2 m long; petiole of upper leaves 5 cm, channelled adaxially, rounded abaxially, unarmed or armed with a few spines abaxially, rachis to 60 cm long, adaxially unarmed, abaxially rounded, sparsely armed with hooked, black-tipped spines to 0.5 cm long; leaflets 5–9 on each side of the rachis, mostly swept forward, strongly grouped in ± opposite pairs, lowest group with a single leaflet each side, terminal leaflets in a group of four, the distal pair connate along 20–40% of their length, lanceolate, up to 14–25 x 1.8–3.4 cm, no bristles on ad- or abaxial faces, leaflet margins naked or with very occasional stiff bristles, including 1–2 close to the tip, transverse veinlets many. Inflorescence very slender, flagelliform, 1.3–2.2 m excluding terminal flagellum, very weakly branched, the male barely branched to 2 orders, the basal partial inflorescences up to 11 cm long including a stalk to 1.5 cm, with one terminal rachilla 3.5–4.5 cm long and 1–3 side branches, distal partial inflorescences unbranched; primary branches strongly swollen at base; rachillae slender; female inflorescence branched to 1 order, the partial inflorescence formed by a single rachilla arising directly from the axis, less than 10 cm total length including a stalk up to 1.5 cm and swollen at the base. Immature fruit spherical, abruptly beaked, and covered in 16 vertical rows of unchannelled yellow scales with red-brown margins. Mature seed not recorded.

The published description did not emphasize the clear differences in female rachillae and fruiting perianth structure between this species and both C. solitarius and C. tetradactylus (see key). Examination of additional material at BM has confirmed that these are valuable, consistent differences. They also suggest that those two species may be more closely related to one another than either is to C. oligostachys. (J. Dransfield, A Synopsis of the Rattans (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) of Laos and Neighbouring Parts of Indochina. 2002)/Palmweb.

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The cane is adequate for handicrafts but brittle. The shoot is edible but small.

Conservation: Unknown. The species is so far known from only two localities, but occurs in degraded habitats, and is unlikely to be heavily harvested. Further research is required.