| Fish-tail lawyer cane | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Calamus |
| Species: | C. caryotoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Calamus caryotoides | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
Calamus caryotoides, commonly known as fish-tail lawyer cane, is a climbing palm native to Queensland, Australia. Its habitat is rainforest and monsoon forest.
The fish-tail lawyer cane has a slender, flexible stem up to 2 cm (0.8 in) diameter and 15 m (49 ft) long. Older parts of the stem, where the leaves have fallen, are green and smooth. The leaf sheathes measure about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and are covered in numerous dark spines up to 1 cm (0.4 in) long. A barbed tendril emerges from the leaf sheath on the opposite side to the petiole. The leaves are about 40 cm (16 in) long and compound, i.e. they are divided into leaflets, and both the rachis and leaflets carry small barbs. The leaflets are about 16 cm (6.3 in) long and 3 cm (1.2 in) wide at the distal end, but quite narrow at the junction with the rachis. The distal end is praemorse, i.e. shaped like a fish tail. [4] [5] [6]
The inflorescence is pendulous, branched, and up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) long, and each carries either male or female flowers. The fruit is small and round, about 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter. The outer covering consists of numerous scales that slightly overlap each other, in the manner of a snake skin. A small amount of soft pulp lies beneath, surrounding the single globose seed which measures about 8 mm (0.3 in) diameter. [4] [5] [6]
This species first became known to Western science in 1770, when a non-flowering specimen was collected by Joseph Banks during the first voyage of James Cook. In 1820 a fertile specimen was collected and eventually described by the English botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham, however his description was invalidly published, and so it wasn't until 1850 that a formal, valid description was published by the German botanist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in volume three of his book Historia naturalis palmarum . [7]
The Cairns Botanical Gardens records that local indigenous pepoles, the Yidinydji, Yirrganyydji, Djabuganydji, and Gungganyji use this plant as follows:
The thin flexible trunks of this (and other) climbing palm made ideal building frames, or rope and string when split. The young shoots were eaten to cure headaches. [8]
It is known to Yidinydji as Bugul, pronounced BOOK-KOOL[ needs Yidiny IPA ])
Bactris campestris is a small spiny palm which grows in multi-stemmed clumps in savannas and low forests in northern South America from Colombia to the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago, and northern Brazil.
Archontophoenix alexandrae, commonly known as Alexandra palm, king palm, northern Bangalow palm, or feather palm, is a palm endemic to Queensland, Australia. It was named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, but is often erroneously referred to by the misnomer Alexander palm.
Normanbya is a monotypic genus of palms containing the single species Normanbya normanbyi, which is known by the common name black palm It is endemic to Queensland, Australia and is threatened by habitat destruction.
Ptychosperma macarthurii, commonly known as the Macarthur palm, is a species of tree in the palm family Arecaceae. Its native range is northern Cape York Peninsula in Queensland with a number of disjunct populations in the Northern Territory and New Guinea. The species has been widely planted in tropical areas and is commonly grown as an indoor plant.
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana – commonly known as Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawara palm or piccabeen palm – is a tree in the palm family Arecaceae, which is endemic to the east coast of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.
Allagoptera is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in South America consisting of 5 accepted species. Compared to other genera within the Cocoseae Allagoptera is described as particularly specialized. The genus name is a Greek combination of "change" and "feather", describing the full leaf; it was formerly named Diplothemium.
Calamus australis, commonly known as wait-a-while, hairy mary or lawyer cane, is a plant in the palm family Arecaceae which is endemic to the rainforests of north east Queensland, Australia. Like other species in the genus Calamus, this is a climbing plant with a very long and flexible stem. It uses sharp strong hooks on the fronds and tendrils to attach itself to other vegetation, such as taller established trees, thus gaining support that enables it to grow higher towards the canopy. This species is very similar to C. radicalis, with which it coexists, but is smaller in almost all respects.
Guioa semiglauca, known as the guioa or wild quince, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia It grows from Kioloa near Batemans Bay in southern New South Wales to Eungella National Park in tropical Queensland. It grows in many different types of rainforest, particularly common in regenerating areas and on sand in littoral rainforest.
Oenocarpus bataua, the patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha, is a palm tree native to the Amazon rainforest. The tree produces edible fruits rich in high-quality oil.
Didymocheton pettigrewianus, commonly known as spur mahogany, spurwood, or Cairns satinwood, is a large tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to the rainforests of Malesia, Papuasia and Queensland. In Queensland it occurs only in a small part of the northeast coast.
Calamus muelleri, commonly known as southern lawyer cane or wait-a-while, is a climbing palm with a vine-like habit, endemic to the subtropical coastal rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. Sharp hooks on the plant can snag the clothing of walkers in these forests, giving rise to the name "wait-a-while".
Goniocheton arborescens, commonly known in Australia as Mossman mahogany, is a small tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is native to rainforests of Malesia, Papuasia, Queensland and nearby islands.
Gardenia actinocarpa is a rare and endangered plant in the coffee and gardenia family Rubiaceae, native to a very restricted area within the Wet Tropics rainforest of northeastern Queensland.
Hydriastele wendlandiana, commonly known as Wendland's palm, cat o' nine tails, creek palm or kentia palm, is a tall, multi-stemmed tree in the palm family Arecaceae. It is native to New Guinea and the Australian states of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Calamus moti is a climbing rainforest plant in the palm family Arecaceae, which is endemic to Queensland. It has a slim flexible stem which does not support the plant, instead it climbs to the forest canopy with the assistance of long tendrils armed with stout recurved hooks.
Calamus radicalis, commonly known as vicious hairy mary, is a plant in the palm family Arecaceae endemic to the rainforests of north east Queensland, Australia. Like other species in the genus Calamus, this is a climbing plant with a very long and flexible stem. It uses sharp strong hooks on the fronds and tendrils to attach itself to other vegetation, such as taller established trees, thus gaining support that enables it to grow higher towards the canopy. This species is very similar to C. australis, with which it coexists, but is larger in almost all respects.
Harpullia rhyticarpa, commonly known as slender harpullia, is a plant in the family Sapindaceae which is endemic to the rainforests northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Diploglottis diphyllostegia, commonly known as the northern tamarind, native tamarind or wild tamarind, is a tree in the lychee family Sapindaceae which is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It is an attractive tree with potential in cultivation, with a dense crown of dark green leaves and masses of fruit in spring and summer.
Cupaniopsis flagelliformis, commonly known as brown tuckeroo or weeping flower tamarind, is a tree in the lychee, guaraná and maple family Sapindaceae, which is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small tree that inhabits drier or seasonal rainforests.
Diploglottis smithii, commonly known as Smith's tamarind or wild tamarind, is a plant in the maple family Sapindaceae found only in the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia.
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