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Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb |
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| Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb |
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Summary
Native to Asia, Calamus ovoideus is a large tree that grows up to 14 ft tall. The leaves are pinnate. Young, unfolded leaves are consumed raw or cooked as a vegetable. Smooth, pale brown canes are split and used for weaving baskets; and whole canes for furniture frames. Canes are heavy and durable and yields high quality rattan used in making furniture.
Found In: Sri Lanka.
Physical Characteristics
Calamus ovoideus is an evergreen Climber growing to 70 m (229ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. The plant is not self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Palmijuncus ovoideus (Thwaites ex Trimen) Kuntze
Plant Habitats
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves
Edible Uses:
Very young unfolded leaves are eaten raw or cooked and used as a vegetable[ 46 ].
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
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None known
References More on Medicinal Uses
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Other Uses
Basketry Furniture Wood
Other uses rating: High (4/5). Other Uses The split canes are used for weaving baskets, and whole canes for making furniture frames. Split cane cores are used for less refined woven products[ 310 ]. The plant has a smooth, pale brown cane with diameter of 30 - 50 mm and internode length of 30 cm or more. The inner core is pale with hardly any soft pith. The cane is heavy and durable. It produces very good quality rattan for furniture frames and is well suited for good quality split rattan for basket work. The main factor affecting the quality of the cane is the harvesting of immature canes with high levels of moisture; these canes are apt to shrink and are easily attacked by insects[ 310 ].
Special Uses
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
Calamus ovoideus grows in lowland and at lower elevations in the moist tropics where there is an average temperature of 27°c, the annual rainfall is 5,000 mm evenly distributed throughout the year, and there is a relative humidity of 80 - 90%[ 310 ]. Grows best with its roots in the shade but its stems growing up into the light. The plant is found naturally mainly on lateritic soils (a mixture of clayey iron and aluminium oxides and hydroxides) on well-drained slopes[ 310 ]. It grows best in fairly open sites in the forest[ 310 ]. When seedlings are planted in the natural forest, it is advisable to thin the canopy to allow more light, to speed up growth. For seedlings planted in forest plantations where weeds are abundant, patch weeding around the plant to keep it free of undergrowth in the first two years will improve survival. Canopy thinning about two years after transplanting is also recommended[ 310 ] After 12 - 14 months seedling leaves may reach a height of 30 - 50 cm and for 4 years the plant usually remains in a rosette state with seedling leaves reaching 2 metres or more in height. By the 5th year the primary stem starts to develop and the first climbing whips begin to appear. By the 6th year the climbers may have grown up to 6 metres long, and by the 7th year they attain a height of 8 - 10 metres and suckers begin to develop[ 310 ]. Flowers appear to be pollinated by bees and seed dispersal seems to be effected mainly by polecats, civets (Viverridae), fruit bats, giant squirrels and leaf monkeys[ 310 ]. Stems are tugged down from the canopy and the leaf-sheaths pulled off the stem with the help of a knife. Often a considerable part of the cane may be left behind in the canopy. The cane is then cut into lengths of 5 - 10 metres[ 310 ]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
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Plant Propagation
The seeds must be kept moist until sown because it quickly loses viability if allowed to dry out. Seeds are sown in beds prepared with a mixture of soil and sawdust or a similar loose mixture. This enables germinated seed to be removed easily without damaging the root. Nursery beds are partially shaded to allow plenty of diffuse sunlight. The sown seeds are covered with a thin layer of soil. Deep shade and deep burial of seed tend to delay germination. Seeds begin to germinate between 2.5 - 3.5 months after sowing. The seedlings are potted after the first leaf has emerged. They are then kept in the shade and provided with plenty of moisture. Seedlings are ready for planting at 12 - 14 months; however, survival rates are better when the seedlings are about 16 - 18 months old. Seed collection is tedious as the infructescence may be several meters above the ground and entangled with other vegetation. For fruit collection on a large scale, the infructescence is inserted into a bag and the stalk cut. This prevents the fruits from being scattered on the forest floor. The seeds are extracted by removing the fruit wall and the fleshy seed-coat. A single seed weighs about 1 g. Calamus ovoideus is most effectively propagated from seed. It is difficult to propagate by removal of sucker shoots[ 310 ].
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Egg-shaped Rattan. Rotan Ovoid
Native Range
TROPICAL ASIA: Sri Lanka (restricted to the SW)
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
None Known
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.
| Related Plants
|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Habit | Height | Hardiness | Growth | Soil | Shade | Moisture | Edible | Medicinal | Other |
| Acorus calamus | Sweet Flag - Calamus | Perennial | 1.0 |
4-11
| M | LMH | N | WeWa | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Calamus caesius | Rotan Sega | Climber | 100.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Calamus manan | Rotan Manau | Climber | 100.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Calamus radiatus | Rotan Rays. Radial Leaf Rotan | Climber | 50.0 |
11-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Calamus rotang | Rattan, Rotang, Rattan Cane | Climber | 25.0 |
11-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Calamus spp. | Rattan Palm | Perennial | 50.0 |
10-12
| M | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Dendrocalamus asper | Giant Bamboo, Dragon bamboo, Sweet bamboo | Bamboo | 15.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | N | M | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Dendrocalamus brandesii | Velvet Leaf Bamboo, Clumping Bamboo | Bamboo | 25.0 |
9-10
| F | LMH | N | M | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Dendrocalamus giganteus | Giant Bamboo, Bhalu bans, Dhungre bans | Bamboo | 30.0 |
9-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Dendrocalamus hamiltonii | Tama Bamboo. Tufted bamboo | Bamboo | 15.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Dendrocalamus hookeri | Bhalu bans, Bhutan Green Bamboo | Bamboo | 20.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Dendrocalamus latiflorus | Sweet Bamboo, Sweet bamboo shoot, Taiwan giant bamboo | Bamboo | 20.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | N | M | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Dendrocalamus membranaceus | White bamboo | Bamboo | 15.0 |
10-12
| F | LMH | SN | DM | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Dendrocalamus strictus | Male Bamboo. Calcutta Stricta or Bamboo | Bamboo | 15.0 |
9-12
| F | LMH | SN | DM | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Himalayacalamus asper | | Bamboo | 6.0 |
-
| F | LMH | SN | M | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Himalayacalamus brevinodus | | Bamboo | 9.0 |
-
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Himalayacalamus cupreus | | Bamboo | 6.0 |
-
| F | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Himalayacalamus falconeri | | Bamboo | 6.0 |
7-10
| S | LMH | SN | M | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Himalayacalamus fimbriatus | | Bamboo | 6.0 |
-
| F | LMH | SN | M | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Himalayacalamus hookerianus | Padang | Bamboo | 9.0 |
7-10
| F | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Indocalamus latifolius | | Bamboo | 1.0 |
7-10
| | LMH | S | M | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Thamnocalamus aristatus | | Bamboo | 6.0 |
5-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Thamnocalamus spathaceus | Umbrella Bamboo | Bamboo | 4.0 |
5-9
| | LMH | FSN | M | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Thamnocalamus spathiflorus | | Bamboo | 6.0 |
5-9
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Thamnocalamus tessellatus | Bergbamboes | Bamboo | 3.5 |
-
| | LMH | SN | DM | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
Thwaites ex Trimen
Botanical References
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.
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Subject : Calamus ovoideus
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