Korthalsia laciniosa

A large, very high liana, or climbing tree in the Arecaceae palm family, Korthalsia laciniosa occurs in the closed forests of Java, Sumatra, the Philippines, Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere in Indochina, and the Nicobar and Andaman Islands.[3] The palm usually grows in lowland forests, often close to the coast, however on the Malay peninsula it has been observed growing in hill Dipeterocarp forests up to 1000m elevation.[2] It occurs in clumps of 4 to 20 individual stems, up to 7.2m high, in the tropical and subtropical monsoon rain evergreen forests of Bạch Mã National Park in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, central Vietnam.[4] It is described as a common species in the Andaman Islands, growing in the moist semi-evergreen and deciduous forests belt.[5] Senthilkumar et al.[6] however found it abundant in South Andaman, less common in Middle and North Andaman, and not common in the Nicobar Islands (where it is found in littoral and peripheral forest communities).

Korthalsia laciniosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Korthalsia
Species:
K. laciniosa
Binomial name
Korthalsia laciniosa
Mart., Historia Naturalis Palmarum. iii. 211.[1]
Synonyms
  • Calamosagus harinaefolius Griff.[2]
  • C. laciniosis Griff.
  • C. wallichiaefolia Griff.
  • Korthalsia andamanensis Becc.
  • K. grandis Ridley
  • K. robusta Bl.
  • K. scaphigera sensu Kurz non Griff. ex Mart.
  • K. teysmannii Miq.
  • K. wallichiaefolia (Griff.) H. Wendl.

Uses

Locally known as may ra at Bạch Mã National Park, central Vietnam (may common to many rattans' names), before 1990 it was harvested for markets, however in 2005 it was only used locally, harvested when the stems are 1-1-5cm diameter, and so allowing the clumped palm to grow the height given above.[4]

In Cambodia, there is demand for the plant to make ropes and baskets, it is known as phdau saôm or phdau soë:ng (in Khmer phdau='rattan').[3]

In the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, rattan are integral materials to the livelihood of the inhabitants, this includes K. lacioniosa, known as rassi beth or rope beth.[6] Small diameter canes are used to make fences and rafts, the same and the leaves are used for decorative purposes (such as tables and benches), especially during rituals and ceremonies of the Nicobarese. There is also a substantial export trade of rattan, with K. laciniosa highly valued yet only exported in small quantities. An earlier report on Korthalsia in the Andamans[5] describes K. laciniosa as giving a robust and durable cane, occasionally used to make cane-chair frameworks, but becoming locally scarce in places on South Andaman due to over-extraction.

References
  1. "Korthalsia laciniosa Mart., Hist. Nat. Palm. iii. 211". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. John Dransfield (1981). "A synopsis of the genus Korthalsia (Palmae: Lepidocaryoidae)". Kew Bulletin. 36 (1): 163–194. doi:10.2307/4119016. JSTOR 4119016.
  3. Pauline Dy Phon (2000). Plants Used In Cambodia/Plantes utilisées au Cambodge. Phnom Penh: Imprimerie Olympic. p. 388.
  4. Ninh Khac Ban; Regalado, Jacinto; & others (2005). "Rattan resource of Bach Ma National Park, Thua Thien Hue province". Agricultural Review, No. 14/2005. 14. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. Mathew, Sam P.; Krishnaraj, M.V.; & others (2007). "Korthalsia rogersii – A Vanishing Endemic Palm of the Andaman Islands". Palms. 51 (1): 43–7. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. Senthilkumar, U.; Choudhary, R.K.; & others (2014). "Livelihood and Revenue: Role of rattans among Mongoloid tribes and settlers of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India". Ethnobotany Research & Applications. 12: 141–54. doi:10.17348/era.12.0.141-154. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
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