Tribe Calameae | Subfamily Calamoideae Genus Calamus Rank Species | |
Similar Calamus australis, Calamus muelleri, Copernicia glabrescens, Archontophoenix maxima, Archontophoenix purpurea | ||
Calamus caryotoides palm
Calamus caryotoides (also Palmijuncus caryotoides), more commonly known as fishtail lawyer cane is a North-East Queensland tropical forest climbing palm with very thin (12 mm) flexible trunks; no crownshaft; small spikes; dark green, glossy, fish-tail shaped leaves reaching up to 15 m high (5m spread); and very thin hooked flagella
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It tends to clump and grow up into the shaded understory of Queensland's wet tropical forests, and is a close relative of the more infamous Calamus radicalis (aka Wait-a-While).
The Cairns Botanical Gardens records local Yidinydji, Yirrganyydji, Djabuganydji, and Gungganydji use Calamus caryotoides (also known to Yidinydji as Bugul, pronounced BOOK-KOOL) 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.