Common Name: False Rattan

General Information

Flagellaria indica is a semi-woody climbing plant with stems up to 15 metres long, occasionally even to 20 metres[, ]. The leaves are unusual in as much as they terminate in a coiling tendril that helps the plant to climb[].
The plant is often gathered from the wild for local use, mainly as a source of material for making baskets etc, but also as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Africa, through tropical and subtropical Asia to Australia and the western Pacific.

Habitat

Moist littoral forests, mangrove swamps, freshwater swamps; from near sea level to elevations of 1,500 metres in S. China[]. A common forest climber which climbs over shrubs and smaller trees in wet to dry forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants can flower and produce fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

Young leafy shoots - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[].

Fruit[]. The pink fruit is a globose berry up to 6mm in diameter containing one, occasionally two seeds[].

The stems contain a sweet sap sweet and are chewed in much the same way as sugar cane[].

The leaves and stems are used in Madagascar to make a stimulating tea[].

Medicinal

The plant has demonstrated antimicrobial activity[]. It is used traditionally as a diuretic[].
Several medically active compounds have been found in the plant, including 4 kaempferol 3-glycosides, alkaloids, a cyanogenic glycoside[].

The root is boiled and the infusion, about 150 ml 3 times daily is taken for 3 days, as health tonic[].

The fresh stalk is chopped into small pieces in water and the filtrate is drunk in order to relieve stomach aches, dysentery and diarrhoea[].
The plant is used as a contraceptive, and the stem is eaten to cause sterility[].

A decoction of the leaves is drunk as a treatment for asthma, general shortness of breath and fevers[].

Other Uses

The bark and tough stems are used for making mats, baskets, fishtraps, and for constructing huts and roofs[]. It is considered a good alternative for rattan, all the more so as it will regrow after cutting[, ].

The leaves are used for hair washes[].

Propagation

Seed -

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