Calamus godefroyi

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A rattan. It can climb 30 m long. The stems are in clusters. They are 1.5 cm across. The leaf sheaths are green with brown hairs. It has spines 2 cm long that point upwards. The leaf shoot is 1 m long with 15-20 oval leaflets on each side. They are arranged regularly. The flowering shoots are 1.3 m long. The fruit are round or oval and 1.6 cm long and 1.2 cm wide. They are yellow or white.

There are 375-400 Calamus species. There are 175 species in tropical Asia.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Indochina it grows in marshy forest below 200 m altitude. It occurs along the Mekong.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Laos, SE Asia, Thailand

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Shoots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Wai nong

Synonyms

It may be a synonym of Calamus rotang L.;