Calamus bousigonii

Calamus bousigonii, is a liana, a climbing plant, and part of the Arecaceae, or palm, family. It is a member of the subfamily Calamoideae, whose members are usually called rattans in English,
Taxonomy.
This species, "Calamus bousigonii" Becc., has 2 subspecies, "Calamus bousigonii" subsp. "bousigonii" and "Calamus bousigonii" subsp. "smitinandii" J.Dransf., Kew Bull. 55(3): 713 (2000)
The subspecies "smitinandii" "is named for Tem Smitinand (1920-95), Thai botanist extraordinary, who often gave me much encouragement in my studies of Thai palms", John Dransfield
This page will discuss the species, but note subspecies differences.
Common names.
The plant's names include (Thailand), "phdau aré:ch" or "phdav arech" ("phdau"=rattan, Khmer), and "may cun" ("may" is common to rattan species, Vietnam)
The "smitinandii" subspecies is called "wai sae ma" (หวายแซ่ม้า) in Trang Province, southern Thailand.
Distribution.
The species grows in Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam, and possibly northern peninsular Malaysia. The subspecies "bousigonii" is recorded the same, however Dransfield regards the population in peninsular Thailand (and presumably that in Malaysia) as the "smitinandii" subspecies. The conservation status of the species is unknown, however the population in peninsular Thailand is probably not threatened.
Ecology.
The species grows in evergreen forest, where it has stems that yield cane from 5 to 15m long.
Occurring in the stunted-forest community, called "forêt sempervirente basse de montagne" by Pauline Dy Phon, in Bokor National Park, Kampot Province, Cambodia, the climber grows at elevations up to 1014m.
In Bạch Mã National Park, central Vietnam, which predominantly has tropical and subtropical monsoon evergreen rainforest, it grows at elevations from 400 to 1000m, in areas of 50-60% forest cover. Locally the species is called ‘alone-rattan’ or ‘faithful-rattan’ because if a plant of one sex is found then a plant of the opposite sex will be nearby. The single-stemmed (not clumping) plant grows to 5-6m in the park, and is noted for its big parallelogram-shaped leaf, with a wrinkled surface and wavy border.
Subspecies "bousigonii" has rachis bracts that are strictly tubular and for the most part intact, not splitting, and the first order branches are inserted at the mouth of the bracts. The "smitinandii" subspecies is "one of the most attractive of all Thai rattans ... glossy undulate diamond-shaped leaflets and its neat low habit give it considerable horticultural potential[, a]mong Thai species it is very distinctive." John Dransfield. Subspecies "smitinandii" is a slender rattan, clustering and growing up to 10m, rarely to 20m, it often flowers and fruits at 2-3m. Its stems without sheaves are 4-8mm in diameter. The leaf sheath is densely covered in solitary spines, 1-13mm long. The bracts on the "smitinandii" rachis are elongate, split for at least half their length, opening out and becoming flattened and tattering; first order branches are inserted about half way along length of the bracts.
In peninsular Malaysia, "Calamus" species have different flowering seasons, a mechanism to maintain reproductive barriers or to divide pollinator resources, "C. bousigonii" has peak flowering in November–December.
Uses.
Basket making is carried on using the long cane from this palm in Cambodia.
The rattan is collected for local use in Bạch Mã National Park, Vietnam, where the height the palms grow to demonstrates that over-harvesting is not occurring.
The people in the buffer-zone of the park use rattan locally for traditional uses (construction, weaving, home-products), but it is also sold and traded, providing the second-most important source of income for poor and landless households (rice is the most important), while the majority of households use it as an income source. There has been over-exploitation of rattan sources in the area.