Rattan is a vine which flourishes in a tropical climate and is mainly grown on plantations. It is a valuable regenerative crop, as the trunk does not die but regenerates itself in a 5 to 7-year cycle. No other material can be bent into such flowing curves and exciting shapes. Rattan rods are solid and are extremely flexible when held over a flame or in hot steam. The vegetable resin and rattan fibres bond during this process, making the curves completely stable without any loss of the material’s natural lightness.

Wicker is hard woven fiber formed into a useful object. Wicker is usually used for baskets or furniture. Wicker is made of material of plant origin, but nowadays plastic fibers are also used.

Materials used can be any part of a plant, such as the cores or canes of rattan stalks, or the whole thickness, as with willow switches. Other popular materials include reed and bamboo.