Scientific name: Calamus tenuis Roxb.
Family: Arecaceae
Synonym: Calamus amarus Lour.
Bengali/Vernacular name: Bet, Bandari bet (Bengali); Jali bet (Sylhet); Sachi bet (Khulna); Kejuni bet (Chittagong); Patibet (Jessore).
Tribal name: Betagi (Chakma), Kring (Marma).
English name: Rattan.
Description of the plant: Climbing, growing in clumps, stem very large, slender, scandent. Leaves glabrous, pinnate, 45-75 cm long, setose above, leaflets 20-30 on each side, equidistant, alternate, linear lanceeolate, acuminate, gradually becoming smaller upward, setose above, up to 30 cm long and c. 1.5 cm broad. Petiole short, stout and pale; petiole and the nerves of the leaflets armed with straight spines. Leaf sheath armed with flat spines and bearing whip-like armed sterile inflorescence (flagella). Bracts many, elongated, tubular spiny, lower with a short limb and scattered recurved spines, upper shortly scruffy. Inflorescence very long, decompound, primary branches 4-6, flexuose. Flowers minute, male c. about 3 mm long, secund in 3-4 series, imbricate – suberect. Fruit subglobose, c. 1.5 cm in diameter, mucronate; scales pale.
Plant parts used: Leaf.
Medicinal uses: An extract is made with the leaves of the plant by boiling in water is used for having hot bath once a day until the paralysis is cured.
Leaf paste is advised to apply externally on the cutting place for three days to treat bleeding from cutting wound.
Distribution: It is widely distributed throughout the country.
Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….
