Common Name:

General Information

Korthalsia robusta is a spiny, evergreen, climbing palm producing a cluster of slender stems around 20 metres long and 20 - 35mm in diameter that 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 furniture, 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 - Malaysia (Borneo), Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Dense primary forests and old secondary forest, it is a characteristic plant of disturbed habitats throughout its range, being particularly abundant on river banks in the flood plains of large rivers at elevations up to 500 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
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 in 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 and, in this species, can also be very noisy - producing an alarm call when disturbed by banging their mandibles against the dry ocreas[].

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 fruit is around 40mm long and 25mm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The canes are used in handicrafts[].
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 -

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