Calamus javensis (PROSEA)
 |
Introduction |
Calamus javensis Blume
- Protologue: Rumphia 3: 62 (1847).
- Family: Palmae
- Chromosome number: 2n= unknown
Synonyms
Calamus filiformis Becc. (1902).
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: rotan opot (Sumatra, Bengkulu), howe cacing (western Java), rotan lilin (southern Kalimantan)
- Malaysia: rotan lilin (general throughout Peninsular Malaysia), coonk stook (Perak), lempinit ularular (Sabah)
- Philippines: arorog, arurug (Palawan), rotan cacing (also used for C. heteroideus , C. unifarius and C. viminalis )
- Thailand: rote batu, wai tek (southern), wai kuan (Pattani).
Origin and geographic distribution
C. javensis is widely distributed in SouthEast Asia from southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo to Palawan.
Uses
In Peninsular Malaysia the cane is used for cordage by the aboriginal people for making baskets, noose traps and musical instruments. The spiny leafsheaths were formerly used for making graters by Semai people, the edible raw cabbage for curing coughs and the cane for the covers of blowpipe quivers. In Sabah and Sarawak it is used for making baskets and as binding material.
Production and international trade
It is sold locally as baskets, cordage and handicrafts.
Properties
In Sarawak the cane is considered excellent because of its length and strength. In Palawan, it is said that the cane is second in quality to C. caesius Blume.
Botany
Clustering, slender to very slender, dioecious rattan, sometimes forming low thickets to 2 m tall, sometimes climbing to 10 m or more. Stem without leafsheaths 26 mm in diameter, with sheaths to 10 mm in diameter; internodes to 30 cm, usually less. Leaf ecirrate, to 40 cm long, very variable in form, mature leaves always with a terminal flabellum formed by two apical leaflets joined along at least 3/4 of the length, lowermost pair of leaflets frequently convex and swept back across the stem enclosing a chamber; leafsheath bright green when fresh, sometimes to 30 cm long, usually less, when young frequently tinged reddish, slightly longitudinally striate with variable armature, varying from unarmed to covered with small horizontal spines; spines slender or triangular, rarely exceeding 5 mm; knee present; ocrea quite conspicuous, tinged deep crimson when young, eventually tattering; flagellum to 75 cm long; petiole 12 cm long; leaflets 412 on each side of the rachis, irregularly arranged in groups, rarely regular, the penultimate very close to the terminal flabellum and median leaflets somewhat opposite, exceptionally ovate in outline, 20 cm×35 cm, with 3 main veins and conspicuous transverse veinlets, shiny green; young leaves reddish tinged. Male and female inflorescences superficially similar, at the base erect, in the middle rather curved and eventually pendulous, slender, to 1 m long, each bearing 25 partial inflorescences to 20 cm long, each partial inflorescence with 26 crimson rachillae to 10 cm long. Ripe fruit ovoid to rounded, 12 mm×8 mm, covered in 1521 vertical rows of pale greenishwhite scales. Seed somewhat angular, 10 mm long; endosperm homogenous. Seedlingleaf with 4 broad shiny leaflets.
C. javensis should not be confused with C. penicillatus Roxb. and C. flabellatus Becc. The inflorescence of C. javensis is quite different from that of C. penicillatus , while the leaves of C. flabellatus are dull matt green, turning black on drying. C. kemamanensis Furt., a species from Ulu Kemaman (Peninsular Malaysia), is considered to be a form of C. javensis by Dransfield. The species forms a complex of closely related taxa, some of which (e.g. C. amplijugus J. Dransf. and C. acuminatus Becc.) have been separated as distinct species. The morphology of the species varies in the leaf size, leafsheath form, leaflet arrangement and size, and number and form of partial inflorescences. At least eight varieties of C. javensis have been recognized: var. acicularis (Becc.) Ridl., var. exilis Becc., var. intermedius Becc., var. peninsularis Becc., var. polyphyllus (Becc.) Becc., var. sublaevis Becc., var. tenuissimus Becc. and var. tetrastichus Becc. However, these are not widely accepted at present.
Ecology
C. javensis is very widespread, occurring from the lowlands to about 2000 m altitude, and is found on a wide range of soils in tropical rain forest. The chamber formed by the lowermost pair of leaflets is sometimes antinfested.
Agronomy
Propagation is by seed. In Sarawak, a few clumps have been cultivated by villagers and a plantation has been established by the Bidayuh people in Padawan.
The cane is first cut at the base of the stem 1 m above the ground, then the stem is pulled and cut off at the end of the mature part. It is then cleaned of the remaining leafsheaths and rolled into a circle of about 40 cm diameter so it is easy to carry out of the forest.
As the cane is used only locally, it is airdried.
Genetic resources and breeding
There has been no attempt to form a germplasm collection. C. javensis is planted in several botanic gardens and arboreta.
Prospects
C. javensis is unlikely to be traded on a commercial scale.
Literature
- Beccari, O., 1908. Asiatic palmsLepidocaryeae. Part 1. The species of Calamus. Annals of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta 11: plate 117, Suppl.: plate 5.
- Dransfield, J., 1979. A manual of the rattans of the Malay Peninsula. Malayan Forest Records No 29. Forest Department, Kuala Lumpur. p. 198.
- Dransfield, J., 1984. The rattans of Sabah. Sabah Forest Records No 13. Forest Department, Sabah, Sandakan. pp. 136145.
- Furtado, C.X., 1956. Palmae Malesicae XIX: the genus Calamus in the Malay Peninsula. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 15: 175187.
- Johnson, D. (Editor), 1991. Palms for human needs in Asia. Balkema, Rotterdam & Brookfield. pp. 3773. | 6| Wan Razali Wan Mohd, Dransfield, J. & Manokaran, N. (Editors), 1992. A guide to the cultivation of rattans. Malayan Forest Records No 35. Forest Department, Kuala Lumpur. p. 53.
Authors
J.P. Mogea
