Wai wan, Wau bounwan, Blong salay
Calamus rhabdocladus

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A rattan. It forms clusters and climbs. It can be 25 m long. The stem can be 25 mm across without the sheath. The leaves are 1-2 m long. The leaflets are 30-50 cm long by 2 cm wide. There are 60 on each side. There are shiny black spines. These can be 4 cm long. The fruit are red or yellow and round or oval. They are 14 mm long by 8 mm wide.

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

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Laos it grows in evergreen forest at 500-800 m altitude. In Vietnam it grows between 1,000-1,600 m altitude. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, Laos, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The shoots are sweet.

Edible parts

Shoots, fruit, palm heart, cabbage

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

R'sui

Synonyms

Calamus pseudoscutellaris Conrard; Calamus pseudoscutellaris Conrard var. cylindrocarpus Conrard; Calamus rhabdocalamus var. globulus S. J. Pei & S. Y. Chen;