Daemonorops jenkinsiana
Daemonorops jenkinsiana
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Succeeding in the moist tropical lowlands, and also in the subtropics. The plant grows best where the mean annual temperature is in the range 20 - 32°c. Temperatures of 3°c or lower can kill young seedlings[1]. It prefers a mean annual precipitation in excess of 1,500mm[1]. The plant grows best in areas where the shade is around 30 - 50%[1]. Seedlings require more sunlight than others for optimum growth[1]. It prefers a humus-rich, moist, fertile soil[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 6.5[1]. Planted out when 12 months old, by the time the young plants are 24 - 36 months the first stem exceeds 1 metre in length and the first climbing whips appear[1]. Two to three years after establishment, the aerial stems may grow at a rate of 2 metres per year[1]. Flowering begins 5 - 6 years after sowing. At the age of 8 - 10 years,, a clump may already consist of over 30 aerial stems[1]. It has been estimated that the yield could be about 7.9 tonnes/ha 10 - 11 years after establishment, and in the following years harvesting may be carried out 4 times in a rotation of five years[1]. Total projected yield may possibly reach 38.7 tonnes/ha within a management period of 25 years. However, these estimates are in need of critical confirmation[1]. The plant may have the potential to produce an exponential increase in the number of aerial stems, but because of competition between them, most of the suckers may not be able to develop into stems[1]. Although the plant requires the support of a pre-existing tree crop or forest canopy for climbing, it requires sufficient sunlight to encourage the development of aerial stems[1]. However, the new leaves of young seedlings may be scorched by full sunlight[2]. In China, smallholders plant it in scattered clumps in agroforestry systems[1]. On a commercial scale it has been intercropped in forest at a spacing of 3 metres x 4 metres[1]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[1].
Propagation
Sow the cleaned seeds in a shady position in a nursery seedbed with a high sand content[1]. The germination rate of ripe and fresh seeds may be 85% or more[1]. Most seeds germinate 50 - 60 days after sowing, and after 60 - 90 days the primary leaf emerges. Young seedlings (with the first true leaf unexpanded) are transplanted into plastic pots containing soil plus added nutrients and then kept moist and under 20 - 30% shade[1]. Seedlings are ready to plant out when 12 - 15 months old[1]. Although it can be propagated by vegetative means, propagation by seeds is a more common method. Seeds should be extracted and cleaned before sowing. The moisture content of seeds should be kept higher than 29%[1]. In order to improve germination, the inner integument that covers the embryo is sometimes sliced through in the nursery[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Daemonorops+jenkinsiana>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [2]Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland. — Brown. ↩︎
- [3]Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia. — http://www.pacsoa.org.au/ ↩︎Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
- [4]A Field Guide of the Rattans of Cambodia — Khou Eang Hourt · World Wildlife Fund · 2008 ↩︎A draft publication giving an excellent concise guide to the various rattan species growing in Cambodia.
- [5]Annals of the Royal Botanical Garden, Calcutta Vol. XI and Appendix — Dr Odoardo Beccari · Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta · 1908 ↩︎This volume of the journal is dedicated entirely to a monograph of the genus Calamus, which remains an important treatment over 100 years later.