Devil rattan
Daemonorops jenkinsiana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A rattan or vine. It forms dense clumps. It can be climbing and 25 m long. The stems can be 6 cm across. The leaf sheaths are yellowish green with brown to red hairs. The leafy stalks are 3 m long. There are 55-100 narrow leaflets on each side. The leaves have stout spines. There are several leaflets. The fruit are round or oval and yellowish brown. They are 2 cm long and 2 cm across.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in evergreen forest and scrub between 100-1,000 m altitude in Indochina. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The pulp of the ripe fruit is eaten raw. The inner pith of the stem is cooked with fish. The young tender shoots are boiled and eaten.

The shoots are commonly sold in markets in Laos. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Shoots, palm heart, cabbage, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Golla bet, Huangteng, Maj jenkins, May cat, Raichhawk, Raidang, Saom, Wai

Synonyms

Calamus jenkinsianus Griff.; Calamus margaritae Hance; Calamus nutantiflorus Griff.; Daemonorops jenksiana var. tenasserimica Becc.; Daemonorops margaritae (Hance) Becc.; Daemonorops nutantiflora (Griff.) Mart.; Daemorops pierreana Becc.; Daemorops schmidtiana Becc.; Palmijuncus jenkinsianus (Griff.) Kuntze; Palmijuncus margaritae (Hance) Kuntze; Palmijuncus nutantiflorus (Griff.) Kuntze;