In common use, the term
cane may refer to any plant with a long, thin stem. However, the cane used for furniture is derived from the
rattan vine native to
Indonesia, the
Philippines, and
Malaysia. The vines typically grow to in length; most have a diameter less than . Before export, the rattan stems are cut to uniform lengths and the bark is removed in narrow strips of .
Sugar cane and
bamboo (sometimes called "cane" in the southern United States) should not be confused with rattan cane. Rattan vine looks somewhat similar to bamboo but is quite different in that bamboo is hollow and holds itself upright while rattan is a solid flexible vine that needs the support of surrounding structure to elevate itself off the
forest floor. It climbs to the top of canopies of the forest to reach sunlight with the help of large rugged thorns that grab hold of surrounding trees. Sometimes much of the length of these rugged vines are draped along the forest floor from tree to tree in search of a suitable structure to climb. ==References==