rattan

1 climbing palm of Sri Lanka and southern India remarkable for the great length of the stems which are used for Malacca canes [syn: rattan palm, Calamus rotang]

2 the stem of various climbing palms of the genus Calamus and related genera used to make wickerwork and furniture and canes [syn: rattan cane]

3 a switch made from the stems of the rattan palms [syn: ratan]

English

Etymology

From Malay rotan.

Pronunciation

• /ɹəˈtan/

  Rhymes: -æn

Noun

1. Any of several species of climbing palm of the genus Calamus.
2. The plant used as a material.

Rattan (from the Malay rotan), is the name for the roughly six hundred species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia. Most rattans are distinct from other palms in having slender stems 2–5 cm diameter with long internodes between the leaves; their consequent growth habit also differs, not being trees but vine-like, scrambling through and over other vegetation. They are also superficially similar to bamboo, but distinct in that the stems ("malacca") are solid, rather than hollow, and also in their need for some sort of support; while bamboo can grow on its own, rattan cannot. Some genera (e.g. Metroxylon, Pigafetta, Raphia) are however more like typical palms, with stouter, erect trunks. Many rattans are also spiny, the spines acting as hooks to aid climbing over other plants, and also to deter herbivores. Rattans have been known to grow up to hundreds of metres long. Most (70%) of the world's rattan population exist in Indonesia, distributed among Borneo, Celebes, Sumbawa islands. The rest of the world's supply comes from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

In the forests where rattan grows, its economic value can help protect forest land, by providing an alternative to loggers who forgo timber logging and harvest rattan canes instead. Rattan is much easier to harvest, requiring simpler tools and also much easier to transport. Furthermore, compared to most tropical wood, rattan is much faster growing. This makes it a potential tool in forest maintenance, since it provides a profitable crop that depends on rather than replaces trees. Whether it can be as profitable or useful as the alternatives, however, remains to be seen.

Uses

Generally, raw rattan is processed into several products to be used as materials in furniture making. The various species of rattan ranges from several millimetres up to 5–7 cm in diameter. From a strand of rattan, the skin is usually peeled off, to be used as rattan weaving material. The remaining "core" of the rattan can be used for various purposes in furniture making. Rattan is a very good material mainly because it is lightweight, durable, and—to a certain extent—flexible.

Rattans are extensively used for making furniture and baskets. Cut into sections, rattan can be used as wood to make furniture. Rattan accepts paints and stains like many other kinds of wood, so it is available in many colours; and it can be worked into many styles. Moreover, the inner core can be separated and worked into wicker.

Due to its durability and resistance to splintering, sections of rattan can be used as staves or canes for martial arts—rattan sticks 70 cm long are used in Filipino martial arts tournaments. Rattan is generally the only material accepted for the construction of weapons in Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) martial combat.

Along with birch and bamboo, rattan is a common material used for the handles in percussion mallets, especially mallets for keyboard percussion (vibraphone, xylophone, marimba, etc.).

The fruit of some rattans exudes a red resin called dragon's blood. This resin was thought to have medicinal properties in antiquity and was also used as a dye for violins, among other things. The resin normally results in a wood with a light peach hue.

Caning

Rattan canes are also a common choice for inflicting pain, in disciplinary, legal punishment, such as caning people, a form of punishment still popular in many countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei. It can also be used for torture or for pleasure, as in BDSM contexts. It was a rattan cane that was used for the caning of Michael P. Fay in 1994.

The Sandman, a professional wrestler famous for his time on ECW and WWE, had a Singapore cane which he used as a trademark weapon. Often matches such as Singapore cane on a Pole matches would occur if he used his frequently in a rivalry.

References