Rattans are climbing palms that are found solely in the Old World tropics. There are over 600 species of rattan belonging to 13 genera. Rattans have slender, vine-like stems that climb over other vegetation for structural support. They produce spines and hooks to aid in climbing. Rattans are economically important as their stems are used to make furniture, baskets, handicrafts and various other items. Major rattan producing countries include Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. Rattans play an important role in local livelihoods and cultures.

1. Rattans
(non –wood forest products)
M.SC BOTANY

2. BOTANICAL
DESCRIPTION
OF RATTANS

3.  Rattans are climbing palms belonging to the Calamoideae, a
large subfamily of the palm family (Palmae or Arecaceae).
 There are around 600 different species of rattan belonging to 13
genera.
 These are concentrated solely in the Old World tropics; there are
no true rattans in the New World,
 There are no rattans in Madagascar.
 All of the species within the Calamoideae are characterized by
overlapping reflexed scales on the fruit, and all are spiny, a
necessary pre-adaptation to the climbing habit.

4.  Most rattans differ from other palms in having
o slender stems,
o 2–5 cm (3⁄4–2 inches) diameter,
o with long internodes between the leaves;
 Also, they are not trees but are vine-like lianas, scrambling through
and over other vegetation.
 Rattans are also superficially similar to bamboo.
 Unlike bamboo, rattan stems ("malacca") are solid, and most species
need structural support and cannot stand on their own.

6.  Many rattans have spines which act as hooks to aid climbing over
other plants, and to deter herbivores.
 Rattans have been known to grow up to hundreds of metres long.
Most (70%) of the world's rattan population exist in
o Indonesia,
o distributed among the islands Borneo,
o Sulawesi, and
o Sumbawa.
 The rest of the world's supply comes from the
o Philippines,
o Sri Lanka,
o Malaysia, and
o Bangladesh

7.  The range of rattans extends from sea level to
more than 3 000 m elevation,
 from equatorial rain forests to monsoon
savannahs and the foothills of the Himalayas.
 Thus the large number of rattan species is
matched by great ecological adaptation and
diversity.

8.  Rattans can be clustering (clump-
forming) or solitary; some species, such
as Calamus subinermis, can be both.
 Other species have short or subterranean
stems.
 Clustering species sometimes possess
more than 50 stems of varying ages in
each clump and produce suckers that
continually replace stems lost through
natural mortality or harvesting.

9. Flowering
 Rattans display two main modes of flowering:
o hapaxanthy (flowering once) and
o pleonanthy (multiple flowering).
 Hapaxanthy is characterized by simultaneous
production of flowers after a period of vegetative
growth.
 Flowering and fruiting is followed by the death of
the stem itself.
 In single-stemmed hapaxanthic rattan species, the
whole organism dies after the reproductive event.
 However, in clustering species the organism
continues to regenerate from the base, and it is
only the individual stem that dies.
korthalsia laciniosa

10.  In Pleonanthic species, flowers are produced
continually and flowering and fruiting do not
result in the death of the stem.
 All the species of Korthalsia, Laccosperma,
Plectocomia, Plectocom-
iopsis and Myrialepis, and a few species
of Daemonorops are hapaxanthic.
 All other rattan species are pleonanthic.

11. Fruits and seeds
 Rattan fruits are often brightly coloured (yellow,
orange or red) and
 the outer seed coat (sarcotesta) is also attractive
to birds and mammals.
 Hornbills and primates are the main dispersers of
rattan seeds in both Southeast Asia and Africa,
with primates and elephants also sharing a
preference for the ripe fruit.
 Fruits are often ingested whole and pass through
the intestinal tract with the seed intact, or are
sucked and spat out.

12. CULTIVATION
OF RATTANS

14.  Climate plays an important role on the growth of rattans, under low
temperature of 15°C, and monthly precipitation less than 25 mm growth
remained poor.
 Rattans are vigorous climbers with relatively high growth rates, and are thus
able to be harvested on a short cycle.
 For the majority of rattans, stem production from the rosette stage (and the
seedling bank) is initiated by exposure to adequate light.
 Stem elongation is also affected by light and, whilst continuous, varies, usually
on a seasonal basis.
 Whilst no data on the growth rates of rattans in the wild exists, long-term
studies have been undertaken in cultivation.
Growth Rates

15.  The harvesting techniques employed in the extraction of rattan have an impact
on potential sustainability, particularly for clustering species.
 The mature stems selected for harvesting are those without lower leaves (i.e.
where the leaf sheaths have sloughed off) and
o usually only the basal 10-20m is harvested;
o the upper "green" part of the cane is too soft and inflexible for transformation
and is often left in the canopy.
 In many instances, all the stems in a clustering species may be cut in order to
obtain access to the mature stems, even those that are not yet mature enough
for exploitation and sale.
 This is particularly an issue where resource tenure is weak.

16. Two simple interventions can be implemented to improve upon rattan
harvesting practices:
For clustering species:
• Younger stems, often indiscriminately cut during harvesting should be left
to regenerate and provide future sources of cane.
• Rotational harvesting systems could be increased if this was the case.
• However, better "stool management" relies on adequate resource tenure.
For all species:
· Harvest intensity and rotation should be based on long-term assessments
of growth rates and recruitment.

17. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
OF RATTANS

18. Rattan chair
 Rattans are extensively used for making
baskets and furniture. When cut into sections,
rattan can be used as wood to make furniture.
 Rattan accepts paints and stains like many
other kinds of wood, so it is available in many
colours, and it can be worked into many styles.
 Moreover, the inner core can be separated and
worked into wicker.

19. Clothing
 Traditionally, the women of
the Wemale ethnic group of Seram
Island, Indonesia wore
rattan girdles around their waist
Corporal punishment
 Thin rattan canes were the standard
implement for school corporal
punishment in England and Wales, and
 Still used for this purpose in schools in
Malaysia, Singapore, and several African
countries.

20. Food source
 Some rattan fruits are edible, with a sour taste
akin to citrus.
 The fruit of some rattans exudes a
red resin called dragon's blood; this resin was
thought to have medicinal properties in antiquity
and was used as a dye for violins, among other
things.
 The resin normally results in a wood with a light
peach hue.
 In the Indian state of Assam, the shoot is also
used as vegetable.

21. Medicinal potential
 In early 2010, scientists in Italy announced that
rattan wood would be used in a new "wood to
bone" process for the production of artificial
bone.
 The process takes small pieces of rattan and
places it in a furnace.
 Calcium and carbon are added.
 The wood is then further heated under intense
pressure in another oven-like machine, and a
phosphate solution is introduced.

22. Handicraft and arts
 Many of the properties of rattan that
make it suitable for furniture also make
it a popular choice for handicraft and
art pieces.
 Uses include rattan baskets, plant
containers, and other decorative works.
 Due to its durability and resistance to
splintering, sections of rattan can be
used as
o canes,
o crooks for high-end umbrellas,
o or staves for martial arts.

23. Shelter material
 Most natives or locals from the rattan rich
countries employ the aid of this sturdy plant in
their home building projects.
 It is heavily used as a housing material in rural
areas.
 The skin of the plant or wood is primarily used
for weaving.
Sports equipment
 Rattan cane is also used traditionally to make
polo mallets, though only a small portion of cane
harvested (roughly 3%) is strong, flexible, and
durable enough to be made into sticks for polo
mallets, and
 popularity of rattan mallets is waning next the
more modern variant, fibrecanes.
polo
mallets
fibrecane
s