Calamus caesius Blume/Sega

Vernacular names Indonesia : Rotan Sega, in Sumatra (sego), Kalimantan (rotan taman)
Origin and geographic distribution, Calamus caesius is widespread in the water parts of south east asia occuring in peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra,Kalimantan, Palawan and southern Thailand.
Uses, traditionally, C. caesius has been used by rural people for making baskets, mats, carpets, handicrafts, cordage and in house construction. The round cane, skin peel and core provide extremely important high quality materials for now highly developed and very sophisticated rattan furniture manufacturing industry. its unique glossy golden cane surface makes it highly sought after for making tatami mats or rattan carpets for the lucrative Japanesse market.its commercial usage has now surpassed traditional usage.

Production and International Trade, Traditionally C. caesius has been collected from the wild in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines either for local use or to be sold commercially. In Kalimantan however C. caesius has been extensivelly cultivated by smallholders for probably over a century, particularly along Mentaya River in Central Kalimanatan. In this region, it is commonly planted in abondoned rubber holding, the old rubber trees being used for shade and support. In East Kalimantan, C.caesius has been incorporated into swedden farm system. there are no authoritative statistics on annual production of C.caesius either from the wild or from cultivated areas, although it is certain that Indonesia has been the largest producer.

Calamus caesius is collected or harvested and sold to middleman either in the raw form or after some cleaning, fumigation and drying. Middleman in turn sell to large processing factories which are also usually engaged in exporting it as washed and sulphured round canes, split canes, skin peels, woven chairance or core. C. caesius has a resilient and durable cane with a smooth golden surface. it is particularly suited for making high quality rattan carpets because of the siliceous glossy surface. the quality of the cane is adversely affected by poor processing, it also depends on factors such as age, moisture content and the light conditions during growth.(Prosea-rattan)