Legi rattan (Calamus melanochaetes)

Legi rattan or Daemonorops melanochaetes (Calamus melanochaetes) is a species of plant in the Arecaceae, a dense shrub, climbing up to 30 meters, cylindrical stems, segments 30 cm long, green, full of spines up to 3.5 cm long and black.

C. melanochaetes has a dull brownish green sheath. The leaves are about 3.30 meters long. The petiole has black spines along the underside and edges. Leaflets have 70-80 units on each side, regular, narrow, about 45 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. The spines are long and slender.

Inflorescence up to 35 cm long, 12 cm wide and erect. The outer bract is dense with slender spines and is black in color. The fruit is round, 1-7 cm in diameter, covered with 18-21 vertical rows of brown scales. The seeds are round and slightly angular.

Legi rattan grows in the lowlands to elevations of 600 meters in the rainforest and often near the sea. The rods are generally used as raw materials for making tables, chairs and household crafts. Fruit is cooked to eat. Young shoots have a sweet taste and are usually served as fresh vegetables.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Calamoideae
Tribe: Calameae
Genus: Calamus
Species: Calamus melanochaetes

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