Common Name:

General Information

Korthalsia merrillii is a spiny, evergreen, climbing palm producing a cluster of long slender stems that can be 25 metres or more long. The stems are 8 - 10mm in diameter and can climb high into the surrounding vegetation. Unbranched in its lower parts, the stem often produces a number of branches in the canopy where it can form considerable entanglements. The stem is very slender towards the base, but new growth gradually thickens, reaching its greatest diameter at the upper end at the time of flowering[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of material for basket making and weaving, possibly also as a food.

Known Hazards

Many species in this genus have ants living on them in structures evolved by the plant known as ocreas. In some species the ants can be very aggressive[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Asia - Philippines

Habitat

Primary forests at elevations from 50 - 200 metres[]. Confined to soils derived from ultrabasic rock[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

A monocarpic species, it can grow for many years without flowering, then flowers prolifically before setting seed and dying. The flowers are produced in panicles at the ends of the stems[].
Many species n this genus have a close association with ants that make their nests within swollen structures in the leaf sheaths known as ocreas. The ant-rattan relationship also seems to involve the presence of scale insects that are husbanded by the ants for honey dew on young rattan tissue. Ants occupying the ocreas of some species can be extremely aggressive[].

Edible Uses

The fruit of all members of this genus is more or less edible. It is sometimes eaten, but there is little flesh and it is therefore more likely to be used as a famine food when little else is available[, ]. The oblong fruit is around 20mm long and 15mm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The canes are used for handicarafts and as a tying material[]. The canes are around 5mm in diameter[].
All members of the genus produce long and very durable canes and are used to make some of the most durable and attractive carrying baskets in southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the inner epidermis of the leaf sheaths adheres to the stem, making it difficult to clean and leaving the stem lacking the attractive, shiny appearance of many Calamus species. In addition, the nodes are frequently very irregular and marked with shallow pits or the remains of branches The canes are very widely used locally and often traded, but not usually more widely than local markets[].
Large diameter canes are used for purposes such as large fish traps and the framework of cheap furniture. Smaller diameter canes can be used whole or split for binding, weaving etc[].

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: a square has how many sides?