THE DIFFERENCE OF RATTAN AND BAMBOO

Most people think that rattan and bamboo plants are the same, and are used in making furniture or buildings. Even some countries in Europe and America call rattan plants with the name bamboo, this is a mistake because rattan and bamboo are two different types of plants. let's take a look and try to analyze some of the writings and literature. The difference between rattan and bamboo based on their definition (taken from wikipedia.org) is as follows:

Rattan Division: is a group of palms from the tribe (tribus) Calameae which has a climbing habit, especially the Calamus, Daemonorops, and Oncocalamus. The Calameae tribe itself consists of about six hundred members, with a distribution area in tropical parts of Africa, Asia and Australasia. This family also includes the genera Salacca (for example salak), Metroxylon (for example rumbia/sago), and Pigafetta which do not climb and are not traditionally classified as rattan plants.

Rattan stems are usually slender with a diameter of 2–5 cm, long segments, not hollow, and many are protected by long, hard and sharp thorns. These spines function as a means of self-defense from herbivores, as well as help climbing, because rattan is not equipped with tendrils. A rattan stick can reach hundreds of meters in length. Rattan stems release water when cut and can be used as a means of survival in the wild. The Javan rhinoceros is also known to make rattan as one of its menus.

Most rattan comes from forests in Indonesia, such as Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara. Indonesia supplies 70% of the world's rattan needs. The rest of the market is filled from Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Bamboo division: is a perennial evergreen flowering plant of the Bambusoideae subfamily which belongs to the Poaceae family. Bamboo is also known as preng or pring in Javanese, awi or tamiang or haur or torch in Sundanese, tabatiko in Ternate, and ute in Ambon. In this world bamboo is one of the plants with the fastest growth. Due to its unique rhizome-dependent system, bamboo can grow up to 60 cm (24 in) in a day or more, depending on soil conditions and the climatology where it is planted. Bamboo plants are widespread throughout the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Bamboo can be found in South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.In Asia, bamboo is mainly found in China, India and Indonesia. China has about 500 species of bamboo growing throughout its territory, while India has about 150 species of bamboo. In Indonesia, bamboo is found in Java, Bali and Kalimantan. In South America, bamboo grows along the coast of the Pacific Ocean from Colombia to Chile. In Africa, bamboo grows in tropical areas such as the Congo, Tanzania and Madagascar. In Australia, bamboo grows in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

From the above definition, rattan and bamboo are two different types of plants, although rattan and bamboo are two types of natural materials that are often used in the manufacture of furniture, handicrafts and building construction. Although the two share many physical properties in common, there are several physical differences between rattan and bamboo:

• Structure and texture: Structure, fiber and texture: Rattan has a spherical shape structure with a diameter of between 10 - 100 mm with nodes that are flatter than bamboo, with a solid inside filled (unlike bamboo where there are cavities in each part between the joints between the nodes) and bamboo has a large round structure between 40 - 200 mm with nodes that are very clearly visible sometimes overgrown with roots at the base. Generally, rattan fiber is larger and coarser but rather soft so it is easy to absorb water (this is the difference why rattan is easier to color than bamboo). Meanwhile, bamboo fiber is denser, harder and tougher, making it difficult to absorb color or water. Meanwhile, the texture of rattan skin is softer than bamboo, but the shape and appearance are almost the same.
• Strength: Rattan is less strong than bamboo, so rattan tends to break or be damaged more easily if pressed or used excessively. However, rattan has good flexibility when it is bent to form a circle or arch, while bamboo, even though it is flexible, but with the cavity between the segments, it will be difficult to do the bending except by splitting it by removing the cavity between the segments.
• Weight:  Rattan is lighter than bamboo. This makes rattan easier to move or carry around, but also makes it less durable than bamboo. With a fairly light weight and easy to shape, rattan material is very flexible and appropriate to be used as a material for making furniture and other handicraft products.
• Color: Rattan tends to be lighter and brighter in color and is easy to accept either water or oil based staining, whereas bamboo is darker and duller and difficult to accept water or oil based stains.
• Smoothness: Rattan is smoother than bamboo, so rattan is often used to make furniture and home accessories such as chairs, tables and baskets.
• Flexibility: Rattan is more flexible than bamboo, which makes it more suitable for manufacturing products that require flexibility such as baskets or wicker.
• Availability: Bamboo is easier to find and less expensive than rattan, especially in tropical areas such as Southeast Asia and South America. Therefore, bamboo is more commonly used in building construction than rattan.

For more details can be seen from some rattan and bamboo images below:

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