Rattans are climbing palms that provide the raw material for the cane-furniture industry.
Sometimes confused with bamboo, canes can usually be distinguished because they are solid, whereas bamboos are almost always hollow.
Although there are some climbing palms in the New World, the true rattans are restricted to the Old World tropics and subtropics.
They are particularly abundant in South-east Asia and the Indonesian Archipelago.
Over 600 different species belonging to 13 genera have been recognised. Their major habitat is tropical rain forest,
where in much of South-east Asia they represent the most important forest product after timber.