Common Name:

General Information

Calamus paspalanthus is an evergreen, climbing or scrambling palm usually producing a solitary, unbranched stem that often creeps along the ground and produces adventitious roots at each node. The stems can be 20 metres or more long and are around 15mm in diameter[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and tooth strengthener. The stem of this species is useless for basketry etc because adventitious roots develop at almost every node near the ground, but the seedling is decorative and hence would make an excellent ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia (Kalimantan)

Habitat

Dense primary forest from the lowlands up to elevations of 1,300 metres. A widespread species, but not found in heath forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Most species in this genus are more or less vigorous climbing plants in rainforests. Leaves of young plants are normally damaged if exposed to too much light, though leaves of older plants will usually tolerate full sun. In general, plants are likely to grow best with their roots in the shade but with enough gap in the canopy to encourage their stems to grow up towards the light. They are also likely to grow best in a humus-rich soil[]. Many of the species require fairly moist conditions for good growth, in fact several of them grow in wet soils or in areas with seasonal inundation - where we have the information it will be included under the plant’s habitat.
Overhead shade should be manipulated at about 6-monthly intervals for the first 2 - 3 years of a young plant’s life to ensure they receive sufficient light to grow vigorously. About 40 - 50% light penetration is generally considered to be ideal for promoting stem growth.
Little care is needed once the seedlings are established. It is important, however, to weed the area surrounding the seedlings occasionally until the plants are more than 2 metres tall.
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Fruit - harvested when fully ripe and used for pickles[, ].
Seed - a sour flavour[].

The young shoot is eaten[].
Although we have no further specific information for this species, many members of this genus have potentially edible young shoots. Indeed, in Laos the shoots are considered to be a delicacy and over half the species growing there are said to be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The top 100cm of the plant is used. If the leaf sheaths are left in place until just before cooking then the shoot will remain fresh for up to one week[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The exudate from the burnt cane can be used to blacken and strengthen teeth[].

The stems are considered to be unsuitable for use in basketry etc because of the plants habit of creeping along the ground and forming adventitious roots at each node[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a fairly short viability and is best sown as soon as it is ripe.

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?