Arecaceae
Calamus

Calamus vattayila Renuka

First published in Curr. Sci. 56: 1012 (1987)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SW. India. It is a liana and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Vernacular
Vattayila, Ottoman (Mai.).
Biology
Grows in the evergreen forests of Thenmala, Ranni and Wynad. Sporadic in distribution between 200-750 m.
General Description
A high climbing rattan; stem cluster-forming, 15 m or more long, with leafsheath 2.5 cm in diameter; naked stem 1.8 cm in diameter; internodes to 27 cm long. Leaves ecirrate, to 1 m long; leafsheath dark green, sparingly spiny, spines 2 cm long, upwardly pointed, infrequent; leafsheath knee conspicuous; ocrea 5 mm long; leafsheath flagellum dark green, 4 m long, petiole to 25 cm long, armed with about 1 cm long spines; rachis armed below with digitate claws; leaflets dark green, alternate, oblong, 40 x 10 cm, prominently 6 nerved, bristly at apices. Inflorescence flagelliform; axial part near base 1 cm in diameter; partial inflorescences about 5 in number, 28 cm long, once branched, with closely shehating subtending bracts; each bract lanceolate at upper free part; axial part of inflorescence armed with 3 mm long spines; rachillae 5 cm long, with distinct alternate cup-like bracts. Female flowers 5 mm long. Fruit oblong, falsely pedicellate with distinct columnar 4 mm long beak, 2.8 cm x 1.4cm., fruit scales light brown, minute, without channelled at middle, arranged in 25 longitudinal rows; 1-seeded, seed sculptured on one side, oblong, 1.5 cm x 8 mm.
[PW]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

General Description
A slender climber; stem without leafsheath smooth, light yellow in colour, 2 -4 cm in diameter near base; internodes smooth, to 20 cm long. Leaves ecirrate; leafsheath with flagellum; rachis slender, bifaced, upper margins of rachis infrequently armed with 2 mm long broad-based hooks; under surface armed with scattered, broad-based 1 mm long spines; leaflets alternate to subopposite; inequidistant, lower leaflets oblanceolate, to 30 cm long, 5 cm broad at widest part, wedge-shaped at base, apiculate at apices, prominently 5-nerved, nerves slightly bristly on upper side, spinulous at margins; middle leaflets elliptic to broadly lanceolate, to 20 cm long, 6 cm broad at middle, narrowly cuneate at base; upper leaflets sometimes 2-3 lobed at distal part; terminal leaflets irregularly connate at base, sometimes one attached slightly above the other. Female inflorescence flagelliform; partial inflorescences twice branched; rachillae scorpioid, to 8 cm long, 16 - 20 in number, each attached about 1 cm above the mouth of the respective basal bracts; secondary bracts funnel shaped; involucrophorum not pedicelliform, with a neuter flower on one side; involucre disc-like. Fruit globose to sub-globose, 1.5 x 1 cm, abruptly beaked with 3- distinct stigmatic projections; fruiting perianth cup-like at base; fruit scales deep yellow, wedge-shaped with lip-like postichous part, distinctly channelled at middle; seed ovoid, 10x8 mm; endosperm ruminate.
Distribution
INDIA (Tamil Nadu). Endemic.
Biology
The original specimens were collected from moist forests of Coimbatore.
[PW]

Uses

Use
Unknown.
[PW]

Use
The cane is strong and can be suitably utilised for making furniture. Intensive survey of this species is needed for assessing its cultivation prospects.
[PW]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Palmweb - Palms of the World Online

    • Palmweb 2011. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online. Published on the internet http://www.palmweb.org. Accessed on 21/04/2013
    • Content licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0