Calamus leptospadix

Botanical Description

Calamus leptospadix is a spiny, evergreen, climbing palm producing long, slender, unbranched stems 8 - 10mm in diameter that can climb to the tops of trees in the forest. The long slender stems, when lying on the ground, send out short leafy shoots from their joints and form a thicket of prickly leaves. The flowering extremities of these prostrate stems ascend the trees by the assistance of the strongly barbed straight tendrils springing from the sheaths of the leaves[ 983 Title Annals of the Royal Botanical Garden, Calcutta Vol. XI and Appendix Publication Author Dr Odoardo Beccari Publisher Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta Year 1908 ISBN Description This volume of the journal is dedicated entirely to a monograph of the genus Calamus, which remains an important treatment over 100 years later. ]. We have conflicting information over whether the stems of this species are used for basketry etc, plus one report that the plant has been experimentally cultivated[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. , 893 Title Identification and utilization of lesser-known commercial timbers in Peninsular Malaysia 6 Publication Timber Technology Bulletin No. 40 Author Lim S.C. & Gan K.S. Website http://www.frim.gov.my/?page_id=1842 Publisher Forest Research Institute; Malaysia Year 2006 ISBN 139-258 Description Part of an excellent series of publications, this one giving a brief guide to four lesser known groups of commercial timbers from southeast Asia. It is available in PDF format on the Internet. ].