Arecaceae
Calamus

Calamus hookerianus Becc.

First published in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 11(1): 226 (1908)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. India. It is a liana and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

General Description
A thicket forming slender climber, stem clustering, with leafsheath to 3 cm in diameter exposed part of the stem to 2 cm in diameter. Leaves ecirrate 1.5 - 2 m or more long; leafsheath with flagellum and conspicuous knee, armed with scattered long and short broad-based spines intermingled with brownish toinentum; leaflets linear; lower leaflets sub-opposite; middle leaflets opposite and upper leaflets alternate; longest leaflets to 80 cm long, 2 cm broad at middle, conspicuously 3-nerved; midnerve bristly on lower side; rachis armed with 1 - 1.5 cm long broad-based straight spines. Male inflorescence flagelliform; partial inflorescences once or twice branched; each attached above the mouth of the respective primary bracts; axial part of inflorescence armed with paired or 3-nate reflexed claws; secondary bracts tubular, smooth on outer surface, obliquely truncate with lip-like projection on one side; rachillae alternate, arching, 9 mm to 5 cm long, attached at or slightly below the mouth of the respective cup-like basal bracts; in proximal rachillae male flowers are borne on glomerules, in the distal rachillae flowers are distichous. Female inflorescence with alternate simply branched partial inflorescences; partial inflorescence upto 1 m long, attached high above the mouth of the respective primary basal bracts; rachillae alternate, drooping, to 25 cm long, attached on cushion at the mouth of the respective cup-like basal bracts. Fruits globose, sub-globose, conical at upper part, 9-10mm x 5mm with a distinct base; fruit scales yellowish brown, in 18 longitudinal series, with chestnut brown anterior part, not channelled at middle, erosely toothed at margins; seed subglobose; endosperm homogeneous.
Distribution
INDIA (Tamil Nadu, Kerala). Endemic.
Biology
Grows in the moist hill forests of Western Ghats of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli Districts of Tamil Nadu and Trivendrum, Thenmala, Ranni, Kottayam, Munnar, Malayattur, Trichur, Nemara and Nilambar forests of Kerala.
[PW]

Uses

Use
Unknown.
[PW]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Palmweb - Palms of the World Online

    • Palmweb 2011. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online. Published on the internet http://www.palmweb.org. Accessed on 21/04/2013
    • Content licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0