Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Calamus latifolius

Syn. Palmijuncus latifolius

IUCN Red List Least Concern (LC)

Local name

  • Rattan Palm (English)
  • Korak bet or Horna bet (Bengali)

Tree type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Arecaceae
20m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Calamus latifolius bark

Bark

Clustered, unbranched climbing stems around 15–30 mm in diameter. The leaf-sheaths with dark brown 3 cm long spines.

Calamus latifolius leaves

Leaves

Pinnate (cirrate) leaves measuring 2 to 3 meters long. Leaflets are papery, broadly lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, up to 50 cm long and 10 cm wide.

Calamus latifolius flower

Flower

Simply decompound, small flowers. Male inflorescence more branched than female inflorescences, with 3–4 cm rachillae bearing 8–12 male flowers per side; female flowers occur in pairs with sterile male flowers.

Calamus latifolius fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Globose, dull brown to blackish fruits up to 1.5 cm wide covered in flattened, neat fruit scales. Each fruit bears a single seed.

Calamus latifolius

Did you know?

It is reported to provide water when cut, potentially offering emergency hydration to forest-dwellers.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

E. Nepal to Indo-China and Peninsula Malaysia.