Rattans?

[Howeadypsis]

I read about these in a book on plants(Private Life Of Plants-D.Attenborough) and often see them on TV programs but are they actually palms, and does anyone grow them?

[bgl]

Larry,

Yes, these are definitely palms, and most of them are climbing palms. They'll climb up tall trees, easily up to 100-130 ft or so. I recall John Dransfield stating in a recent thread that one particular rattan palm (Calamus I believe) is the fastest growing palm in the world. I have a number of them here. This is a Calamus inermis. I posted this photo in another recent thread. Unfortunately for the Calamus we cut down the tree a few years ago (after I had planted the Calamus), because it was leaning at an alarming angle, so now the Calamus is beginning to head over the nearest tree, which is a good 14-15 ft away. In the process it has pretty much swallowed up a Carpoxylon macrospermum, that's actually in the center of this photo (but not visible). And you may be relieved to know that we engaged in a search-and-rescue mission last week, cutting off a whole bunch of Calamus stems, and freeing the Carpoxylon! I'll post another photo in a day or so to show what it looks like.

Bo-Göran

[bgl]

Close-up of the Calamus inermis

[bgl]

And the base of a Plectocomia elongata, another rattan palm which is quite impressive. This one has fairly long fronds, and it's already about 50 ft up in the tree that it's climbing on. Will try to get a better shot of the palm itself within the next day or two.

[Howeadypsis]

Oh man look at those spines!

So is Rattan a product, the name seems to ring a bell, or am I just thinking of Raffia?  

[bgl]

Raffia (from the Raphia palm) is something entirely different. Rattan palms, and there are a number of different genera that are in the rattan palm category, are used to make rattan furniture. They strip off the spines and the main core (of the stem) is what becomes furniture.

[Howeadypsis]

Ah, yes, now I get it!

[DoomsDave]

Rattans don't grow as well here in Cali, which is probably just as well.

As Bo's pics show, they're spiny expletives, perfect for that, well, you know.

They're pretty, too, though.  Some make nice houseplants when they're small and cute, and cats and brats don't mess with them.

dave

[bgl]

Here's an up-to-date pic, taken just a little while ago. This is the same palm & same view as in Post 2 above, and now that we've cleaned out the area a little bit, the Carpoxylon is clearly visible.

[bgl]

And a close-up. The two main stems on the left are still heading straight up, not yet realizing that the ohia tree is long gone. One stem, clearly visible, has headed over to the ohia tree in the background, and there are two more stems just behind it (more visible in the next shot).

[bgl]

And a close-up of the three main Calamus stems heading up their new home. This is one palm that will stay where it is...

[bgl]

It's tough to get a good shot of the Plectocomia elongata, and this is as good as it gets. There are a couple of stems, snaking their way up the ohia tree. All the visible fronds belong to the Plectocomia.

[Kris]

Dear Bo goran.  

Rattans are totally new to me,and that was interesting to know that these plams also grow as creepers(climbers).

and as usual your photos were great !

Love,

Kris.

[philinsydney]

Calamus muelleri

[Tyrone]

Phillip, A lovely picture of Calamus muelleri. This is one I'd love to get my hands on, but very few palm people have a soft spot for Rattans. I love em. C muelleri would be the best one to try in So Cal being probably the most cool tolerant rattan coming from the highlands around Brissie and the Gold Coast and into North NSW.

C australis and even moti would be worth a try in So Cal. I managed to get about 100 C moti going well. Now what the hell am I going to do with them. I'll plant them all. The two I planted in the garden at one leaf stage in autumn are hanging in thru winter fine. A bit slow to begin with I think.

regards

Tyrone

[Astro]

Great Photos. Super Info. Thanks

[DoomsDave]

When they're vigorous, the rattans kinda remind me of that monster from the movie about the aliens that just grabbed and ate everyone it could.

Great pix, Bo, as always!  Your garden is the next best thing to being in Hawai'i!

dave

[Howeadypsis]

Great pics and info, and now thanks to Dave I'd love to get hold of one as a houseplant!

[aussiearoids]

I was wondering if anyone grew these prickly devils !

I have several seedlings coming up in my gully , will leave them grow . Was lucky to witness a flowering of a Plectocomia while house sitting for a palm mad mate . Pictures are on pacsoa .

[Tyrone]

(aussiearoids @ Aug. 24 2006,06:55)

QUOTE

I was wondering if anyone grew these prickly devils !

I have several seedlings coming up in my gully , will leave them grow . Was lucky to witness a flowering of a Plectocomia while house sitting for a palm mad mate . Pictures are on pacsoa .

What species is coming up in the gully. the flesh is edible, so I've heard. tastes like a lychee. not much flesh though. I love em, and hope to get a few going in my garden.

regards

Tyrone

[Jeff Searle]

Ahhh, yes, these are palms. Why in the world someone(sorry Bo) would plant this in their garden is beyond me. What a maintance nightmare from hell !

[Howeadypsis]

(Jeff Searle @ Aug. 25 2006,08:37)

QUOTE

Ahhh, yes, these are palms. Why in the world someone(sorry Bo) would plant this in their garden is beyond me. What a maintance nightmare from hell !

You gotta think of us in England! Can you imagine telling your mates you have a rattan in your garden!

OK, so most would say 'a what??' buy you get the idea!

[deezpalms]

I've got a nice Plectocomia himalayana in a 5 gallon that is growing rather rapidly in my sunroom. AS soon as one frond opens another one is right behind it!!

[amazondk]

Bo,

Are the rattans used for furniture plantation raised or are they harvested in the forest?  Boy, they do not look too friendly.  The climbing palms around here are a bit nasty too, but I think these look worse.

dk

[bgl]

Don,

I really don't have the answer, but just as a general observation it would seem to be extremely difficult to go out in the jungle and harvest them, so my guess (and that's what it is, a guess) is that they are grown in some sort of controlled condition. Maybe someone out there actually knows how this is done?

And Jeff, yes, I tend to agree with you!! Why plant these palms!!?? For the most part, I don't regret the ones I DID plant, but I'm certainly not going to plant any more. However, maintenance is really minimal. Once they start growing up a tall tree, there's not much you can do, one way or another, and maintenance is pretty much nil. There was that one rattan that had almost covered one of my Carpoxylons (see higher up in this thread), and that took a few hours to clean up, but other than that, no problems.

Bo-Göran

[aussiearoids]

(amazondk @ Aug. 25 2006,16:26)

QUOTE

Are the rattans used for furniture plantation raised or are they harvested in the forest?  

These are so large and prolific they would not need to be farmed , just harvested from the jungle . Its a big business and would be very sustainable .

Pretty certain the plants growing at my place would be C. moti .

[Tyrone]

You wouldn't be able to post some of those C moti in your gully area would you. I just love looking at them. I have about 100 seedlings that I germinated from seed collected from up your way. They all came up except for one retard. They're sort of slow to start out, but a couple have survived the winter no probs in the garden at one leaf stage. I just love em. I don't know why palm people wouldn't want one, except for the spines of course. But people grow roses, and put up with all there spines. It's not nice falling into a rose bush.

regards

Tyrone

[aussiearoids]

Here is a pic of Calamus moti , its only a young seedling , excreted by birds or bats no doubt . They are growing under a large tree, and there are many other different things growing there .

[aussiearoids]

Its about knee high and not far from the fence , so I hope to train it onto the fence then up a tree .

Eventually will build a support and get them to cover a portion of the gully.

[Howeadypsis]

Thats a cool looking Rattan,I love the thorns!(I grow cacti too!)

[aussiearoids]

Infructesence on another Calamus , most likely C. moti .

It was growing on the road from Julaten down to Mossman .

[aussiearoids]

Gidday Larry , I was going to go looking for this post , and your reappearance made it a lot easier .

The Calamus moti , that I posted the pic of is now nearly 3 m long and is starting to go across my gully .

I get seedlings popping up in many of my pots now .

[bgl]

Wow, interesting to see this old thread revived! And I have to agree with Jeff Searle's statement above ("I don't know why anyone would want to plant these etc. etc..."). Even though I planted a number of them! BUT, I have now started to selectively remove some of the rattan palms that I planted years ago. Not an easy job. I posted some photos in late February (forgot exactly what I named the topic but it was something along the lines of "Weed control in Hawaii"). Had a 15 minute wrestling match with a Calamus radicalis (and also found out you're not supposed to wear shorts in these close encounters! ). It had about 4-5 stems, climbing up a tall Ohi'a tree, and I cut them off close to the base, and then began to yank them down. It took a while since the stems were about 40 ft up the tree, and holding on for dear life! Photos below show the palm in front of our house (on its way to its final resting place in the forest...).

As it happened, I dealt with a Calamus leptospadix just this morning. It had about 10 stems, climbing about 30 ft up into an Ohi'a tree, but it was also beginning to invade the space of some palms nearby. Cut off all the stems close to the base, and tomorrow I'm going back to dig out the rootball. And just last week I completely removed a Calamus caryotoides, stems and rootball and all. When I planted the rattan palms here, about 10 years ago, I planted them all very close to tall Ohi'a trees, with the expectation that they would climb up these trees. Which, for the most part they did. However, what also happened was that some of them, once they got up into the tree, decided to venture off and "take over" some palms close by, and that's not acceptable behavior! So, now I have to deal with a number of these rebels, and termination is the only viable alternative...!

[Howeadypsis]

Oh wow this is an old thread!

Great to see again,would so love one of these in my house!

Chance of finding one at B&Q or Homebase-slim!

BGL, wow will you look at all those plants, all flat out like a lizard drinking! I'll fly over and get some eh

[Howeadypsis]

Infructesence on another Calamus , most likely C. moti .

It was growing on the road from Julaten down to Mossman .

Interesting fruits there mate! Kinda textured by the look of it

Edited April 11, 2009 by Howeadypsis

[edric]

I've got a whole living room full of Rattan, it was my Grandmothers, made in the late forty's, it doesn't get used any more, but it sure had been in the past, and there's nothing lose on any piece, the craftsmanship is incredible, I;m told it was made in Cuba, but don't know for sure, Ed

[Howeadypsis]

I've got a whole living room full of Rattan, it was my Grandmothers, made in the late forty's, it doesn't get used any more, but it sure had been in the past, and there's nothing lose on any piece, the craftsmanship is incredible, I;m told it was made in Cuba, but don't know for sure, Ed

Great stuff! If I hadnt known better I'd have said it was bamboo!

Love the dried flowers/seed heads on the table too. What are they BTW?

[edric]

I've got a whole living room full of Rattan, it was my Grandmothers, made in the late forty's, it doesn't get used any more, but it sure had been in the past, and there's nothing lose on any piece, the craftsmanship is incredible, I;m told it was made in Cuba, but don't know for sure, Ed

Great stuff! If I hadnt known better I'd have said it was bamboo!

Love the dried flowers/seed heads on the table too. What are they BTW?

Thanks, Hawaiian Woodrose, Merremia tuberosa, Ed

[Howeadypsis]

Thanks, Hawaiian Woodrose, Merremia tuberosa, Ed

Ah gonna have to google that, me being the plant curious obsessive that i am!

Edit, I googled, and I see its your avatar!

Nice plant, related to Morning Glory! (Convolvulaceae)

Told you I was plant obsessed!

Edited April 11, 2009 by Howeadypsis

[Tyrone]

My Calamus moti's and one Calamus muelleri are doing great at my place but Sloooooowwwww. Maybe they'll speed up, but they'll never be as quick as in the tropics.

Best regards

Tyrone