Daemonorops sabut (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Daemonorops sabut Beccari

Protologue: Flora British India 6: 469 (1893).

Family: Palmae

Chromosome number: 2n= unknown

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: jungan (East Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: rotan sabut, toan pekat (Sabah), wi lepoh (Sarawak)
• Thailand: waai phon khon non.

Origin and geographic distribution

D. sabut is widespread in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.

Uses

In Sarawak, the cane is used as splits and woven into mats and carrying baskets, for binding and tying roofs. A natural red dye similar to "dragon's blood"can be prepared from its fruit.

Production and international trade

In Sarawak, the cane is often sold as split canes with good market value. However, no statistics are available.

Properties

The cane is small in diameter (1.5 cm), durable, and considered one of the best materials for making local baskets ("selabit").

Botany

Clustering, dioecious rattan of moderate size, to 40 m or more in length. Stem without leafsheaths 15 mm in diameter, with sheaths to 30 mm in diameter; internodes to 10 cm long. Leaf cirrate, to 2.5 m long including petiole and the 1.2 m long cirrus; leafsheath dark green, densely armed with collars of black and brown horsehairlike spines varying from 16 cm in length, collars frequently somewhat oblique, caducous, blackishbrown indumentum between the collars, at least some of the collars interlocking to form tunnels usually occupied by ants; knee conspicuous; ocrea inconspicuous; petiole 60 cm long with scattered reflexed spines to 5 mm long and small groups of black spicules on collars near the base; leaflets to 20 on each side of the rachis, very irregularly clustered, in up to 5 groups of 36 leaflets each, the lowermost group often very crowded pointing in several directions, the longest, usually the most basal, rather narrow to 45 cm×3 cm, unarmed except for short marginal bristles. Inflorescence pendulous, male and female superficially similar, to 60 cm long; with up to 6 partial inflorescences to 30 cm long; the prophyll long persistent, armed with collars and black bristles like the leafsheaths, other bracts quickly falling at anthesis. Mature fruit rounded to ovoid, very short beaked, about 16 mm×12 mm, covered in 1417 vertical rows of yellowish reflexed scales. Seed 12 mm×9 mm, densely pitted; endosperm deeply ruminate. Seedlingleaf with divergent leaflets.

Characteristic for D. sabut are the tunnels of the leafsheaths. Many species in the genus, in fact, have spines forming such tunnels, namely D. crinita (Miq.) Bl., D. forbesii Becc., D. formicaria Becc., D. macrophylla Becc., D. mirabilis Mart., D. oligophylla Becc. and D. verticillaris (Griff.) Mart. In Calamus , C. polystachys Becc. has such tunnels. They are usually occupied by ferocious ants, which make specimen collection unpleasant.

Ecology

D. sabut is very characteristic of alluvial or freshwater swamp, mostly in lowlands, but also up to 400 m altitude.

Agronomy

D. sabut is propagated by seed. It has been cultivated by villagers in Sarawak. No information is available on husbandry, yield and handling after harvest. Harvesting is as for mediumand largediameter canes like Calamus ornatus Blume.

Genetic resources and breeding

No germplasm collections have been established so far.

Prospects

Since the cane of D. sabut is very useful in basketry work and the plant clusters, it is worthwhile to take this rattan into cultivation.

Literature

• Beccari, O., 1911. Asiatic palmsLepidocaryeae. Part 2. The species of Daemonorops. Annals of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta 12: 181.
• Dransfield, J., 1979. A manual of the rattans of the Malay Peninsula. Malayan Forest Records No 29. Forest Department, Kuala Lumpur. pp. 109110.
• Dransfield, J., 1984. The rattans of Sabah. Sabah Forest Records No 13. Forest Department, Sabah, Sandakan. pp. 5961.
• Johnson, D. (Editor), 1991. Palms for human needs in Asia. Balkema, Rotterdam & Brookfield. pp. 3773.
• 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. 32.

Authors

J.P. Mogea