Calamus acanthospathus

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A climbing palm or rattan. It can have a single stem or be in small clusters. It climbs 30 m long and in 2-5 cm wide. The leaf sheath is green with brown hairs. It has flattened spines 1 cm long. The leaf stalk is 1.4 m long with 8-15 leaflets on each side. The middle ones are 18-30 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. The fruit are yellowish brown and oval. They are 2.5 cm long by 1.5 cm wide.

There are 375-400 Calamus species. There are 175 species in tropical Asia. It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In Indochina it grows between about 1,500 - 1,800 m altitude. It is in evergreen forest. In southern China is grows in lowland forests between 800-2,400 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

Edible parts

Shoots, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Blong eur, B-nyu-mu, Gauri bel, Gouri bet, Mit-perh, Rhu, Rie, Wai hawm, Wai hom, Wai tia

Synonyms

Calamus montanus T. Anderson; Calamus feanus Becc.; Calamus feanus Becc. var. medogensis S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen; Calamus yunnanensis S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen; Calamus yunnanensis S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen var. densiflorus S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen; Calamus yunnanensis S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen var. intermedius S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen;