Calamus

Calamus, a genus of palms, comprising over 80 species, mostly natives of Asia, though some occur in Australia and in Africa. They have slender reed-like but solid stems, seldom more than one or two inches in diameter, which grow to great lengths, clambering up among the branches of trees by means of the hooked prickles on the stalks of their pinnate leaves. The flowers are small, in branched, catkin-like spadices, and the fruits are covered with smooth downward-pointing imbricate scales. C. Rotang, C. rudentum, C. verus, C. viminalis, and probably other Indian and Malayan species are the source of the largely-imported rattan canes, used for the seats of chairs, and, in their native countries, for cables and a variety of other purposes. C montanus is twisted into suspension bridges over rivers in Sikkim. C. Scipionnm is the thicker Malacca cane, imported from Singapore for walking sticks, and C. australis is the Loya cane, from Australia.