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LAWYER VINE FACTS |
Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License
Common Name
Lawyer Vine
Other Names
Wait-a-while
Description
Lawyer vine is a climbing palm with slender spiny stems. The leaves are pinnate and up to 50 cm long, with up to a dozen leaflets. It has long tendrils with sharp curved hooks extending from opposite each leaf. These assist the plant with climbing but can snag the clothing and skin of walkers passing by. The common names of Lawyer vine and Wait-a-while refer to the time-consuming effort to untangle oneself once encountering the palm. The small greenish flowers are produced in long panicles that grow to a metre long. The creamy coloured fruit are round and about 12 mm in diameter and covered with scales.
Habitat
found in rainforest where it can be seen in national parks such as the Lamington National Park and Mt Tambourine. It is the Calamus species found this far south.
Distribution
Calamus muelleri is found in eastern parts of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Growth Characteristics
Height: stems can grow to 20m or more
Classification
| Class: | Liliopsida | | Order: | Arecales | | Family: | Arecaceae | | Genus: | Calamus | | Species: | muelleri | | Common Name: | Lawyer Vine |
Relatives in same Genus
Calamus australis
Calamus caryotoides
Calamus moti
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