May dang
Calamus walkeri

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A climbing palm or rattan. It grows in clumps. It climbs 15 m tall. The stems are 3 cm across. The leaf sheaths are green with grey-brown hairs. There are spines 2.5 cm long that are yellow with black tips. The leafy stalk is 1.5 m long with 40 narrow leaflets on each side. These are arranged regularly. The middle ones are 30-50 cm long and 2 cm wide. The fruit are oval and yellow. They are 1.2 cm long by 1 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.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Calamus faberi var. brevispicatus (C. F. Wei) S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen; Calamus tonkinensis Becc.; Calamus tonkinensis var. brevispicatus C. F. Wei; Palmijuncus walkeri (Hance) Kuntze;