Important
rattan species
of Malaysia
Abdul Razak Mohd Ali is Director-General and
R.S. Raja Barizan is Research Officer,
Forest Silviculture and Management,
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM),
Kepong, Malaysia.
About 30 of the 106 species of rattan that occur naturally in peninsular Malaysia are collected and utilized by the country's rattan industry. The most important commercial canes come from the genus Calamus. The following are the five most important species in terms of utilization. All produce high-quality canes and are exploited heavily from the natural forest. All five species are also cultivated, although only C. manan, C. caesius and C. trachycoleus are cultivated on a large scale; the other two species are cultivated on a trial basis:
Calamus manan is the best large-diameter (> 18 mm) cane and is usually confined to the steep slopes of hill dipterocarp forests. It is abundant at 600 to 1 000 m altitude and grows well when planted on flat lowlands. It is a solitary and high-climbing rattan reaching 100 m or more. For optimum growth, the species requires about 60 percent light. It grows well under rubber trees, with growth rates of around 0.3 to 3.0 m per year. It is mainly used for making furniture frames.
Calamus tumidus is classed in the large-diameter group but its canes are smaller than those of C. manan. The canes, as are those of C. manan, are used for furniture components, and also for making walking sticks. It is similarly solitary and high-climbing, and is common in freshwater swamp forest, in peat swamp forest and on alluvial flats.
Calamus scipionum is a widespread lowland species growing at altitudes up to 200 m. It is found on alluvial soils in the floodplains of rivers and in secondary forests, but not in primary dipterocarp forests. The cane is used for making walking sticks and umbrella handles because it has long internodes. The species is a clustering type with five to ten stems per clump, climbing high up to 50 m or more. The growth rate of the cane is slower than that of C. manan, at about 0.15 to 1.5 m per year.
Calamus caesius is the best smaller-diameter (< 18 mm) cane. It is used for all types of binding and weaving in the furniture industry, and in the finest baskets. The species is found from lowlands (alluvial flats, freshwater swamps and margins of peat swamp forests) to hill slopes up to 800 m altitude. It is high-climbing (100 m or more), and is a clustering species with more than 100 stems per cluster; this is an advantage, as repeated harvests are possible without the need for replanting. Clumps tend to be rather close and dense.
Calamus trachycoleus is another small-diameter cane. It is a clustering dioecious species with a more open type of clumping, producing additional stems via long stolons, which have the potential of increasing the number of aerial stems exponentially. Like C. Caesius, it needs no replanting. It is found growing on seasonally flooded riverbanks on alluvial clays and on the margins of peat swamp forests. In general, the canes of this species have shorter internodes, smaller diameter and thinner layer of silica than those of C. caesius. However, there is more demand for C. trachycoleus for weaving purposes because its cane is softer, more pliable and easier to work with.
