Rattan Cane in Borneo: Climbing Palm, Uses and Forests

Destinations Desk Published by the BaliGenie editorial team. Last updated 16 October 2026. Report a factual error through Contact.

Rattan cane is the long, flexible stem of a climbing palm that grows through the forests of Kalimantan and Sulawesi. The plant uses trees for support, sending stems many metres upward until the leaves reach the canopy. Those stems are cut, cleaned and split by hand and then woven into chairs, mats, baskets and cords. If you want to know what rattan cane is, where it comes from and why it matters to forest communities and furniture makers, the sections below set out the plant, the harvest, the craft and the pressures on wild stands in order.

What Rattan Cane Is and Where It Grows

Rattan is a spiny climbing palm found across the Old World tropics, and Indonesia is home to more than three hundred species of it. Its stems are the part that people use. They are slender, tough and springy, and they bend without snapping when they are prepared correctly. Rattan grows in the lowland and hill forests of Kalimantan, the Borneo part of Indonesia, and it is also found in Sulawesi, where it has long been an important forest product. The plant is found in both places wherever humid lowland and hill forest remains.

The plants prefer humid forest with plenty of shade and some gaps in the canopy. Seedlings start on the forest floor, and the young plant climbs as soon as it finds a host tree. The mature stems can reach a great length, and a single clump may spread across a large patch of forest.

The Climbing Habit and How the Plant Holds On

Rattan has no woody trunk and no way to hold itself upright on its own, so it depends on the trees around it. Its leaves carry curved spines and long whip-like tendrils that catch on branches and neighbouring stems. This habit lets the plant climb high without spending energy on a thick trunk, which is why rattan can grow so long and still stay slender.

For someone walking through a rattan forest, the climbing habit is the first thing that stands out. Stems drape down from the trees in loops, and the spines make it hard to push through without care. Experienced harvesters move slowly and use their hands to find the safe path between the stems.

How Rattan Stems Are Cut and Prepared

Harvesting begins with the stem being cut at its base. The harvester then pulls the stem free from the other plants and trees that have supported it, which can be a long and careful job when the stem is wound through the canopy. The leaves and tendrils are stripped off, and the stem is cut into lengths that suit the product it will become.

Once the stems reach the workshop, they are cleaned of their outer skin and spines and then split or drawn through tools to produce strips of even width. The work is done by hand, and the stems should be processed quickly. Cane that dries out before it is cleaned can crack, split along its length or go brittle, and a single crack can spoil a whole piece of furniture.

Why the outer layer matters

Rattan has two main parts that craftspeople use differently. The inner core of a stem is thick and round, and it is used whole for the frames of cane furniture. The outer layer, sometimes called the bark or skin, is cut into long thin strips that are shiny, strong and easy to weave. Those strips form the surface of wicker chairs, chair seats, mats and baskets. A worker who knows how to separate the two parts gets far more value from each stem.

Furniture, Mats and Baskets Made From Cane

Rattan is woven into chairs, tables, mats, baskets, bags and cords. Its flexibility makes it easy to bend into curved frames, and its strength lets it carry weight for years when the joints are made well. Many Indonesian homes have cane chairs or mats, and the material is still common in markets across the archipelago.

Most of the cane work is still done by hand. A chair frame may use several stems bent over a form, lashed at the joints and then woven with strips of the outer layer. Mats are woven on simple frames, often by family groups working together in a shared room. Baskets are coiled or woven from strips in patterns that have been handed down for generations.

• Whole stems for furniture frames, which need the thick inner core.
• Thin outer strips for wicker work, chair seats and weaving.
• Cords and twine for lashing joints and binding loads.
• Mats and baskets for everyday use in homes and markets.

The Forests of Kalimantan and Sulawesi

Rattan grows in the forests of Kalimantan and Sulawesi, where the humid climate and dense canopy suit the climbing habit. Much of the cane sold in Indonesia still comes from naturally growing stands in these forests, and the plant is part of the forest structure rather than a separate crop. Its presence shows that the forest is still intact, because rattan needs the trees, the shade and the light gaps that a healthy forest provides.

In Kalimantan, the forests of the interior are a good place to see how the plant fits into the wider ecosystem. The Betung Kerihun National Park page covers one of the large protected forest areas of the island, where a wide range of climbing plants and forest products are part of daily life for the communities who live nearby. For a broader view of the island’s towns and routes, the Kalimantan travel guide sets out the regions and how they connect.

In South Kalimantan, many forest goods reach buyers by river and road, and the city of Banjarmasin sits at the centre of that network. The South Kalimantan guide explains how the province’s towns and waterways fit together.

In Sulawesi, rattan has been an important forest product for many years, and the same basic methods of cutting, cleaning and weaving apply. The South Sulawesi travel guide describes the province and its highland and coastal regions, where the forests and the crafts that depend on them are found.

Growth Cycles and Why Stems Take Time

Rattan grows faster than most forest trees, but a stem still needs several years to reach a useful size. Harvesters know that a young stem is thin and weak, and a mature one is thick and strong. Cutting the largest stems first is quick, but it removes the plants that would have produced the best cane in the coming years. Leaving some stems uncut lets the clump regrow, and this is one of the main methods used to keep wild stands productive.

Cultivation is a newer approach. Some small-diameter kinds have been planted and tended by forest communities, while larger kinds still come mostly from wild stands. Managed plots can be pruned and harvested on a schedule, which makes the stems more uniform in size, but wild stems vary more in thickness and colour. Buyers who care about the origin of their cane often ask whether it was grown or gathered.

Pressure on Wild Rattan Stands

Heavy harvesting has reduced wild rattan in some parts of Indonesia. When too many mature stems are taken from one area, the clumps lose their strongest plants and the forest has fewer climbing palms to regenerate from. Forest clearance has also removed habitat, and both problems are most serious near towns and roads, where the cane is easiest to reach.

Raw rattan exports have been restricted in Indonesia since 2011. The aim of the rule was to keep more of the processing and value inside the country, and to support workshops that make finished goods rather than simply shipping the raw stems. The rule has not solved the problem of wild stands, but it has shaped where the cane is worked and who earns from it.

Some harvesting practices are regarded as unsustainable in the long term, particularly where stems are cut without any thought for regrowth. Community programmes have tried to change this by teaching better cutting methods, rotating harvest areas and helping farmers and craftspeople organise their work so that they can sell at fair prices.

Wild Cane and Cultivated Cane Compared

The difference matters in practice. A chair frame needs thick, even stems, and cultivated cane often suits that work better. A basket can use thinner stems from either origin. Asking the seller about the origin tells you a good deal about the cane’s history and its likely quality.

Recognising Good Quality Cane

Good cane is smooth, even in colour and free of deep cracks. Stems should bend in a curve without a sharp crease. Cane that has been split too thin will feel weak, while cane that has been cleaned poorly will show dull patches and leftover spines. When you buy a finished piece, look at the joints, because the way the stems are lashed and wrapped reveals how carefully the work was done.

Ask the maker how the stems were cut, how long they were left to dry and whether the strips were cleaned before weaving. The answers show how much care went into the piece, and they tell you whether the workshop is likely to produce cane that lasts.

Visiting Rattan Forests and Workshops

Visitors to rattan forests should travel with a local guide who knows the paths and the plants. Stay on marked trails, because the spines can cut through clothing and skin, and avoid damaging stems or climbing plants that are not yet ready to cut. Forest workers often know which stems are being left to regrow and which areas are protected, so asking them is the best way to learn how the forest is used.

Workshops that process cane are usually small and work with simple tools. Visitors who want to see the stages should ask before taking photographs, and should expect the work to be quiet and steady rather than a show. Watching a worker split a stem and then weave it gives a clear picture of how much skill the material demands.

Carry water, wear long sleeves and sturdy shoes, and plan the walk for the cooler part of the day. Forest conditions change quickly after rain, and the paths can be slippery.

Rattan Cane in the Wider Forest Economy

Rattan is one of the most useful forest products in Indonesia, and it sits alongside timber, resin, fruit and medicinal plants as part of what forests provide to nearby communities. Its value lies in the fact that the plant can be harvested without felling the tree that supports it, which makes it a useful income for people who want to keep the forest standing.

That benefit depends on careful harvesting. The same plant that offers steady income can disappear from an area that is cut too hard, and the workshops that depend on it can lose their supply. The people who understand the forest best are usually the ones who cut the cane, so their knowledge of regrowth and rotation matters as much as any rule.

Anyone interested in the material should look at how a single stem moves from the canopy to a finished chair, because the journey shows the whole relationship between the forest, the harvester and the maker.

Related guides: pasak bumi, borneo pygmy elephant, borneo camphor, Rotan Rattan Harvest: How Cane Is Cut and Sold, Forest Plants of Kalimantan: Timber, Latex, Rattan and Medicinal Species.