Calamus pseudotenuis

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Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
pseudotenuis
(soo-doh-tehn-OO-ihs)
Slender Rattan Cane4.jpg
Castlerock, Karnataka, India.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Calamus (KAL-ah-muhs)
Species:
pseudotenuis
(soo-doh-tehn-OO-ihs)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Asia.gif
Morphology
Habit: Clustering
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

INDIA (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu), SRI LANKA. Grows in the moist hill forests of Western Ghats up to 1500 m.

Castlerock, Karnataka, India.

Description

Slender Rattan Cane is a climbing palm with stems clustered, up to 15 m long, and 5 cm in diameter. Leaf sheaths are yellowish green with brown hairs, with scattered, greenish spines which are needle-like to flattened, up to 3.5 cm long. Ocreas are present, well developed, up to 10 cm long. Flagella are present, up to 3 m long. Leaf rachis is up to 1.5 m long, with 25-40 linear-lanceshaped leaflets per side. Leaflets are regularly arranged. Inflorescences are up to 3 m long, flagellate. Bracts are tubular. Fruit is round, up to 1.5 cm across, yellow. Slender Rattan Cane is found in Southern India.

A slender to moderately robust climber; stem cluster forming with leafsheath 1.5 - 2.5 cm in diameter; exposed part of the stem smooth with internodes 20 - 35 cm or more long, 1 - 2 cm in diameter; leafsheath dull green in colour, armed with straight, subulate spines, 2 - 3 cm long, slightly bulbous at base; with deep brown scurf in between the spines; leafsheath flagellum to 3 m long; ocrea about 10 cm long, petiole up to 15 cm long in older leaves, armed with 3-4 cm long yellowish, straight spines; rachis armed on lower part with straight spines at or near the attachment of leaflets; dorsal part of rachis armed with strong claws; leaflets many, nearly regular, linear-lanceolate, attenuate at apical part; basal leaflets longest, to 45 cm long, 2 cm broad at middle with 3-distinctly bristly upper nerves. Male inflorescence flagelliform, highly branched; primary bracts tubular, armed with scattered, broad-based 5 - 9 mm long deflexed hooks; axial part of the inflorescence armed at intervals with paired, broad-based, 8 mm - 1 cm long spines; partial inflorescence twice or thrice branched; primary rachillae 12-15 cm long; secondary rachillaescorpioid bearing flowers in glomerules. Female inflorescence simply decompound; partial inflorescences attached at the mouth of the respective bracts, 90 cm -1.5 mm long with many slender, to 25 cm long rachillae on each side, attached at the mouth of the respective basal bracts. Fruits ovoid to sub-ovoid, abruptly conical and beaked, 10 mm x 7 mm, ascending from the rachilla; fruit scales straw yellow in colour with broad, very dark intermingled band, arranged in 18 longitudinal series without channelled at middle; fruiting perianth flattened. (J. Dransfield, Rattans (canes) in India. A Monographic Revision. 1992)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The slender cane of this species is strong and used for making baskets etc.



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, Rattans (canes) in India. A Monographic Revision. 1992


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

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