Calamus muelleri H.Wendl. & Drude

A tall slender palm or rattan. It forms clumps and climbs. A number of stems arise each year from an underground rhizome. The stems are thorny. They are green but turn brown with age. Stems can be 10-15 m long. They can grow to 180 m long. Stems are about 1 cm wide. There are slender, flexible climbing structures growing from the leaf sheath opposite the leaf. These can be 1-2 m long and have backwards curving thorns. The leaves are distributed along the stem at fairly wide intervals. The leaves are 30-100 cm long divided into 10-19 leaflets along the stalk. These are dark green on both surfaces. The 4 leaflets at the end are in a group. The leaflets are 10-20 cm long and 15-20 mm wide. The flowering stalk is long and slender and hangs downwards. It has a thorny stalk at the end which can be 3 m long. Several flowering stalks normally occur on the same plant at the one time. The flowers are 3-4 mm across. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The fruit are cream or green and round. They are 8-15 mm across and covered with overlapping scales. They have a thin dry outer coat over one seed.

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in wet rainforests. They do best in a warm, shady site. They need a rich, well-drained soil. They will tolerate mild frosts when older. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.

The fleshy layer of the fruit is eaten.

Plants can be grown from seed which should be sown while fresh. Seed normally germinate within 6 months. Seedlings do not transplant easily.