ຫວາຍນໍ້າ / Water Rattan

Another clustering rattan, with a stem up to 20 m long and 0.9 cm-2 cm in diameter, wai nam has a 1.2 cm-3 cm diameter sheath that is greenish and sometimes has grey-brown indumentums. Its spines are brownish to yellowish-brown with reddish tips, 1 cm-2.5 cm long, often with crescent bases. There is a tiny, dry ocrea with no spines or bristles. Leaves are 0.8 m-1.2 m long, with leaflets that are regular on some leaves but irregular on others. The leafstalk is 7 cm-22 cm long, though sometimes shorter than 5 cm on sheaths with inflorescences. Inflorescences are 0.6 m-1.6 m long with a flagellum. The fruit is 0.8 cm x 0.8 cm, with whitish scales (yellow when dry) and non-ruminate seeds.
Wai nam grows in shrub forest and degraded semi-evergreen forest at 100 m, usually near rivers in Attapeu province. It is also found and is widely cultivated in Thailand, with fast growth. In Laos a single bitter-tasting shoot is sold for $0.05-$0.07, or $0.4 per kg ($8 dried).