Calamus periacanthus facts for kids

Calamus periacanthus is a type of rattan palm. It is a flowering plant that grows in Southeast Asia. This plant is special because it is dioecious. This means each plant has either male flowers or female flowers, but not both.

What's in a Name?

In the places where it grows, people have special names for this plant. They call it rotan jagung and wi empunok. These names are part of the local culture.

What Does It Look Like?

This palm grows many stems from its base. These stems can climb very high, up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) tall! The stems are green and have bright yellow spines. These spines can be as long as 8 centimeters (about 3 inches).

At the end of its leaves, the plant has special parts called tendrils. These tendrils look like whips. They are covered with spines that point backwards. These spines act like tiny grappling hooks. They help the plant grab onto other plants and climb through the thick forest.

Each Calamus periacanthus plant has either male or female flowers. These flowers grow in large bunches called panicles. These bunches can be up to 1 meter (about 3 feet) long.

The fruits of this palm are round. They have a pale brown, scaly skin. Inside, there is one round seed. This seed is covered by a see-through, sweet-and-sour part that you can eat.

Where Does It Grow?

Calamus periacanthus is found in Southeast Asia. You can see it in places like the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.

It likes to grow in lowland and hill forests. These forests are often filled with tall dipterocarp trees. You can find this plant at elevations up to 800 meters (about 2,600 feet) above sea level.