Calamus marginatus

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Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
marginatus (mahr-jihn-AH-tuhs)
Cm2787705.jpg
Kinabalu Park HQ, Sabah, Malaysia. Male inflorescence. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
Species:
marginatus (mahr-jihn-AH-tuhs)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
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Morphology
Habit: Solitary, rarely clustering.
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Uwai Pagit (Dus.), Wi Matahari (Ib.)

Habitat and Distribution

Borneo. Widespread throughout Brunei. A common Bornean rattan, also known from Sumatra and Palawan.
Kinabalu Park HQ, Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
This is one of the most widespread of Bornean rattans, occurring from sea level to 1,800 m altitude, and also one of the most variable.

Description

Solitary, rarely clustering, moderate to robust rattan climbing to 15 m or more, but frequently flowering when only 3-4 m tall; stem without sheaths to 18 mm in diam., with sheaths to 20-35 mm in diam., internodes generally rather short, not usually more than 10 cm. Sheaths dull dark green, densely armed with scattered triangular flattened black spines, 3-40 mm (in montane forms spines around the leaf sheath mouth crowded, erect, very long, to 140 mm), black indumentum abundant between the spines; knee grossly swollen; ocrea membranous, to 7 mm, usually obscured by spines. Flagellum to 5 m, heavily armed with reflexed spines. Leaf ecirrate, distinctly curved, to about 1.5 m including the petiole to 35 cm; petiole strongly channeled on upper surface, armed with regular groups of spines 5-20 mm along the margins, and a central row of spines to 20 mm on the lower surface; leaflets 40-60 on each side of the rachis, curved, very regular, about 3 cm apart, the longest to 35 × 1.5 cm, leaflet margins slightly but distinctly thickened, unarmed on the upper surface, lower surface with 3-5 main veins armed with close very short bristles, transverse veinlets conspicuous. Inflorescence flagellate, very long, to 5 m or more, bearing up to 5 very distant pendulous partial inflorescences, to 1 m or more long, in male partial inflorescences branching twice to give short dark brown rachillae to 2 cm, bearing dense distichous flowers, in female branching once to give rachillae about 20 cm long, bearing lax distichous flowers. Mature fruit ovoid, about 16 × 12 mm, tipped with a beak to 2 mm and covered in 15 vertical rows of reddish-brown scales. Seed to 12 × 8 × 7 mm, deeply pitted; endosperm deeply ruminate. Seedling leaf pinnate with 6 very narrow leaflets held in a fan. (J. Dransfield, The Rattans of Brunei Darussalam. 1997)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: From the Latin; Margined.

Uses: Produces a coarse but durable cane of poor appearance, much used for the frameworks of carrying baskets.



External Links

References

Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.

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

Special thanks to 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 Brunei Darussalam. 1997


Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

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