RATTAN?...CHECK IT OUT
Rattan definition from Wikipedia:
Rattan (from the Malay rotan) is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae (Greek 'kálamos' = reed), native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.
Structure[edit]
Most ratans differ from other palms in having slender stems, 2–5 cm diameter, with long
internodes between the
leaves; also, they are not
trees but are
vine-like, scrambling through and over other vegetation. Rattans are also superficially similar to
bamboo. Unlike bamboo, rattan stems ("malacca") are solid, and most species need structural support and cannot stand on their own. However, some genera (e.g.
Metroxylon,
Pigafetta,
Raphia) are more like typical palms, with stouter, erect trunks. Many rattans have
spines which act as hooks to aid climbing over other plants, and to deter
herbivores. Rattans have been known to grow up to hundreds of metres long. Most (70%) of the world's rattan population exist in
Indonesia, distributed among
Borneo,
Sulawesi,
Sumbawa islands. The rest of the world's supply comes from the
Philippines,
Sri Lanka,
Malaysia and
Bangladesh.
Processing[edit]
In forests where rattan grows, its economic value can help protect forest land, by providing an alternative to loggers who forgo timber logging and harvest rattan canes instead. Rattan is much easier to harvest, requires simpler tools and is much easier to transport. It also grows much faster than most tropical wood. This makes it a potential tool in forest maintenance, since it provides a profitable crop that depends on rather than replaces trees. It remains to be seen whether rattan can be as profitable or useful as the alternatives.
[citation needed]
Generally, raw rattan is processed into several products to be used as materials in
furniture making.
[1] The various species of rattan range from several millimetres up to 5–7 cm in diameter. From a strand of rattan, the skin is usually peeled off, to be used as rattan weaving material. The remaining "core" of the rattan can be used for various purposes in furniture making. Rattan is a very good material mainly because it is lightweight, durable, and—to a certain extent—flexible.
Environmental issues[edit]
Rattans are threatened with overexploitation, as harvesters are cutting stems too young and reducing their ability to resprout.
[2]Unsustainable harvesting of rattan can lead to
forest degradation, affecting overall forest
ecosystem services. Processing can also be polluting. The use of toxic chemicals and petrol in the processing of rattan affects soil, air and water resources, and also ultimately people's health. Meanwhile, the conventional method of rattan production is threatening the plant's long-term supply, and the income of workers.
[3]
Chair,
josephinism style, typical viennese, around 1780
Indonesians making rattan furniture, circa 1948
Furniture making[edit]
Rattans are extensively used for making furniture and baskets. When cut into sections, rattan can be used as wood to make furniture. Rattan accepts
paints and
stains like many other kinds of wood, so it is available in many colours; and it can be worked into many styles. Moreover, the inner core can be separated and worked into
wicker.
Handicraft and arts[edit]
Many of the properties of rattan that make it suitable for furniture also make it a popular choice for handicraft and art pieces. Uses include rattan baskets, plant containers and other decorative works.
Rattan as a shelter material[edit]
Most natives or locals from the rattan rich countries employ the aid of this sturdy plant in their home building projects. It is heavily used as a housing material in the rural areas. The skin of the plant or wood is primarily used for weaving.
[6]
Food source and medicinal potential[edit]
The
fruit of some rattans exudes a red
resin called
dragon's blood. This resin was thought to have medicinal properties in antiquity and was also used as a dye for
violins, among other things.
[7] The resin normally results in a wood with a light peach hue. In the Indian state of
Assam, the shoot is also used as vegetable.
Corporal punishment[edit]
Thin rattan canes were the standard implement for
school corporal punishment in England and Wales, and are still used for this purpose in schools in Singapore, Malaysia and several African countries - and similar canes are used for military punishments in the
Singapore Armed Forces,
[8]
Other uses[edit]
In early 2010, scientists in Italy announced that rattan wood would be used in a new "wood to bone" process for the production of
artificial bone. The process takes small pieces of rattan and places it in a furnace.
Calcium and
carbon are added. The wood is then further heated under intense pressure in another oven-like machine and a phosphate solution is introduced. This process produces almost an exact replica of bone material. The process takes about 10 days. At the time of the announcement the bone was being tested in sheep and there had been no signs of rejection. Particles from the sheep's bodies have migrated to the "wood bone" and formed long continuous bones. The new bone-from-wood programme is being funded by the European Union. Implants into humans are anticipated to start in 2015.
[11]
References[edit]
- Jump up^ Rattan, Furniture. "Rattan Furniture". Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- Jump up^ MacKinnon, K. (1998) Sustainable use as a conservation tool in the forests of South-East Asia. Conservation of Biological Resources (E.J. Milner Gulland & R Mace, eds), pp 174–192. Blackwell Science, Oxford.
- Jump up^ "WWF Rattan Switch project". WWF. July 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
- Jump up^ "What is the SCA?". Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. Retrieved 14 July 2012. "Since we prefer that no one gets hurt, SCA combatants wear real armor and use rattan swords."
- Jump up^ "Marshals' Handbook". Society for Creative Anachronism. March 2007 revision. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- Jump up^ All About Rattan at Rattancraft.com.
- Jump up^ "Rattan" at Encyclopedia.com.
- Jump up^ Singapore: Caning in the military forces at World Corporal Punishment Research (includes a photograph of a military caning in progress).
- Jump up^ Judicial caning in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei at World Corporal Punishment Research.
- Jump up^ Jaqueline M. Piper, Bamboo and rattan, traditional uses and beliefs, Oxford Univ Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0195889987
- Jump up^ "Turning wood into bones". BBC News. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
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