''Calamus flagellum'' is an Asian species of
tropical forest rattan liana
A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...
in the family
Arecaceae
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
, with a native range from
Assam to southern China and
Indo-China.
[ Its name in Vietnamese is ''mây song'', while the Lepcha of Sikkim call it .]
Description
''Calamus flagellum'' is a strong climber with stems in clusters forming The individual rattan stems form from a leafsheath up to 45 mm in diameter.
Leaves are described as "ecirrate" (without a cirrus: extension of the rattan leaf tip armed with grappling hooks), produced from leafsheaths 6 - 7 m long. Petioles are about 10 mm in diameter, armed with whorls of 10 - 30 mm spines; the leaflets are equidistant, broadly ensiform
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
, with a prominent single vein on upper side; middle leaflets are longer, up to 600 mm long.
Male and female inflorescences are 5 m or more long and armed with claws. The flagellum is attached here (this is a whiplike climbing organ bearing reflexed strong claws on the lower side). Partial inflorescences occur which are about 1 m long with 3-4 rachillae on each side. The primary closely sheathing bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
is tubular and fibrous at upper end. The rachilla Rachilla may refer to the following topics in botany:
* Rachilla (floral axis)
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikele ...
e are 100-250 mm long, each bearing 10-30 flowers. Male flowers are 8 - 10 mm x 3 mm, curved on the outside. Female flowers are about 7 mm long, with an ovate, 3-toothed calyx
Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to:
Biology
* Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...
and lanceolate petals, positioned remotely on the rachillae (which are 200-250 mm long, truncate and projected from the basal bract). The fruit are about 30 mm long, broadly ovoid with fruit scales deeply channelled in the middle.[POWO: ''Calamus flagellum'' Griff. ex Walp. (retrieved 6 February 2021)]
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References
[Griffiths W ex Mart. (1853) In: ''Hist. Nat. Palm.'' 3: 333]
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11179702
Flora of Indo-China
Calamus (palm)