''Calamus moti'' is a climbing

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

plant in the palm family

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

, which is endemic to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. 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.

Description

This is a clustering, climbing palm with stems up to in diameter and in length, making it the largest of the eight ''Calamus'' species found in Australia. The leaves are up to long and are

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

with 35 to 50 leaflets either side of the rachis. The underside of the rachis has three longitudinal rows of stout recurved hooks. The leaflets are

linear Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear r ...

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

, up to long by wide, with very fine barbs on their margins On the upper surface of each leaflet there are two longitudinal rows, one either side of the central vein, of spines measuring up to long. The leaf sheaths completely surround the stem and are armed with stout yellow-green spines about long arranged in oblique combs. Flagella armed with stout recurved barbs are produced from the leaf sheath and act as

grappling hooks A grappling hook or grapnel is a device that typically has multiple hooks (known as ''claws'' or ''flukes'') attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hol ...

providing support for the flexible stem. On older sections of the stem the fronds and their leaf sheaths fall away, revealing the stem's smooth glossy green surface.

Taxonomy

''Calamus moti'' was first described by Frederick Manson Bailey and published in 1896 in the journal Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture, Brisbane.

Etymology

The genus name ''Calamus'' is derived from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

'' κάλαμος (kálamos)'' and means reed or cane. The species epithet ''moti'' is the name for this plant in the language of the

Djabugay The Djabugay people (also known as Djabuganydji or Tjapukai) are a group of Australian Aboriginal people who are the original inhabitants of mountains, gorges, lands and waters of a richly forested part of the Great Dividing Range including th ...

people of the Barron River.

Distribution and habitat

''C. moti'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Queensland, ranging from near

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

southwards to around Mackay. It grows in well developed

, reaching peak development when close to water courses, and it can be found at elevations from close to sea level to about .

Ecology and uses

The yellow lawyer cane is the host plant for the white-fringed swift ''

Sabera fuliginosa ''Sabera fuliginosa'', the white-fringed swift, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Australia along the north-east coast of Queensland, as well as in Papua, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The wingspan is about 40 mm. ...

'', a butterfly of the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...

, and the fruits are eaten by birds. Indigenous communities of north Queensland ate the fruits and the young shoots, while the cane from the stem was used for many purposes including axe handles, fish and animal traps, shelters and baskets.

Conservation

This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

. , it has not been assessed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Gallery

File: Calamus-moti-1-SF21348-04.jpg , Leaflets showing needle-like spines on upper leaf surface File: Calamus-moti-1-SF21348-05.jpg , Flagellum showing sharp recurved barbs File: Calamus-moti-1-SF21348-06.jpg , Underside of the rachis with stout barbs File: Calamus-moti-2-SF21348-03.jpg , Habit

References

External links

* *
View a map
of recorded sightings of ''Calamus moti'' at the

Australasian Virtual Herbarium The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgamat ...

View observations
of this species on iNaturalist
See images
of ''Calamus moti'' on Flickriver {{Taxonbar, from=Q15462661 moti Plants described in 1896 Endemic flora of Queensland Taxa named by Frederick Manson Bailey