Duaye shengteng
Calamus egregius
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
A palm or rattan. The stems are in clusters. It is climbing and up to 50 m long. The leaf sheaths are yellowish green with brown hairs. There are flattened spines 2 cm long. The leaf stalk is 1.5 m long with 20 sword shaped leaflets on each side. They are clustered in alternate groups of 2 or 3. The fruit are brown and oval and 2 cm long by 1.6 cm wide.
There are 375-400 Calamus species. There are 175 species in tropical Asia.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in lowland rain forests below 1,000 m in Hainan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Palm heart, cabbage, shoots