Introduction

Rattans are spiny climbing plants in the subfamily Calamoideae, the scalyfruited palms (formerly known as the Lepidocaryoideae) (Uhl & Dransfield, 1987). They are a large., diverse group comprising approximately 600 species in 13 genera (Dransfield, 1988) that range from the West African coast to Taiwan and Fiji (Corner., 1966). The rattans. Calamus and Daemonorops, with 370 and 115 species respectively, are among the largest genera of palms (Tomlinson, 1979).

Rattans reach their greatest abundance and diversity in Southeast Asia, particularly the Malay Archipelago (Dransfield, 1981) where they are a prominent component of both the forest floor and the canopy. Rattans occur under a wide variety of climatic and edaphic conditions and are found from lowland swamp to upper montane and secondary forest formations (Dransfield, 1981).

To many inhabitants of Southeast Asia, rattans are an indispensible resource in daily life. Rattans are also well known in Europe and North America as the basic material in elegant furniture and handicrafts. The strong demand for rattan products has made this unique group of climbing palms the most important non-timber forest product in Asia and an important source of cash income for rural people (International Development Research Centre, 1980). The very popularity of rattan products, in conjunction with indiscriminate timber harvesting and forest conversion to agricultural uses, now threaten the existence of both rattans and the industry that is dependent upon them.