Climbing palm

Climbing palms are genera in the family Arecaceae that grow as lianas. Initially erect, the slender stems seek out trees for support and climb up into the forest canopy by means of recurved hooks and spines growing on the stem, leaves and inflorescences. In all climbing palms the leaves are pinnate and grow along the stem instead of forming a dense crown. The stems of climbing palms, more often referred to as canes, are solid in contrast to bamboo poles which are almost always hollow. The majority of climbing palms are also clumping palms , sending out new shoots from . About 600 species of palms in genera have a climbing growth habit. Most noteworthy is the genus Calamus–the largest genus in the palm family with approximately 350 described species--source of nearly all commercial rattan.
The habit of climbing palm is one of the terms used for referring to the diversity of habits of palm stems, the rest are arborescent palms or tree palms, shrub palms and acaulescent palms, as defined in Dransfield.

Diversity

Most climbing palms are the ones called rattan. Rattans are closely related, and all belong to the family Calamoideae, most of them in the tribe Calameae. The genera: Calamus, principally, also Korthalsia, Plectocomia, Plectocomiopsis, Myrialepis, Laccosperma, Eremospatha and Oncocalamus. All rattans belong to the Old World.
In the New World there are 2 genera with climbing representatives, Chamaedorea and Desmoncus, the last one is utilized and commercialized much in the same way as rattans.
Dypsis scandens is a climbing palm in Madagascar.