Calamus calospathus

Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs) calospathus (kahl-oh-SPAH-tuhs)
Photo-Malaysian Biological Diversity.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs) Species: calospathus (kahl-oh-SPAH-tuhs)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
rotan demuk

Habitat and Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia. Tropical Moist Forest.

Photo-Malaysian Biological Diversity.

Description

Solitary-trunked and covered in leaf scars, which exude a yellow gum after leaf loss. The linear leaflets are pinnately arranged and once-folded with toothed margins. The petioles and rachises feature recurved spines which hook onto vegetation and assist them in climbing. The inflorescences in both species consist of close, overlapping bracts from which male or female flowers emerge. The bracts are armed with spines and the inflorescence resembles those in Heliconia species. The small, round fruit, regarded as a delicacy by the Temuan aborigines, are scaly and usually contain three seeds. (Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987)/Palmweb.

Comments and Curiosities

This is a dioecious specie.

Etymology: The specific name is a combination of two Greek words meaning 'beautiful' and 'spathe'.

It is not common in collections, nor has it been found in the wild for several years, leading some to conclude that the species may have become extinct.