What Is A Wicker Chair Actually Made Out Of?

It varies.  Wicker is actually any sort of non-woody plant fibre, formed into a useful object, usually baskets or furniture.  Wicker is lightweight but relatively strong for its weight and size.  This makes it ideal for furniture that must be used frequently or that isn't used heavily.

The most common plant fibres made into wicker are rattan, reed, bamboo and willow.  Bamboo and rattan cores are the materials most likely to be made into furniture.  Rattan is the umbrella name for more than 600 related palm species, growing mostly in Indonesia.  Compared to tropical woods, rattan grows quite fast and is a sustainable forest product.  Rattan is similar looking to bamboo, but unlike bamboo it is solid (bamboo is hollow) and needs some sort of physical support (a stake in the ground) to grow tall.

When rattan is made into wicker the outer skins of the plant is normally peeled off first, leaving a bendy material that readily accepts painting.  Rattan is also popularly used to make martial arts sticks.