diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 1d827cf63e..e5e9035dc7 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
  * add scheduler JMX metrics (CASSANDRA-2962)
  * add block level checksum for compressed data (CASSANDRA-1717)
  * make column family backed column map pluggable and introduce unsynchronized
-   ArrayList backed one to speedup reads (CASSANDRA-2843, 3165)
+   ArrayList backed one to speedup reads (CASSANDRA-2843, 3165, 3205)
  * refactoring of the secondary index api (CASSANDRA-2982)
  * make CL > ONE reads wait for digest reconciliation before returning
    (CASSANDRA-2494)
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ArrayBackedSortedColumns.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ArrayBackedSortedColumns.java
index 71c72135ef..3657cddfd6 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ArrayBackedSortedColumns.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ArrayBackedSortedColumns.java
@@ -82,6 +82,11 @@ public class ArrayBackedSortedColumns extends ArrayList<IColumn> implements ISor
         return new ArrayBackedSortedColumns(this, comparator, reversed);
     }
 
+    public boolean isInsertReversed()
+    {
+        return reversed;
+    }
+
     private int compare(ByteBuffer name1, ByteBuffer name2)
     {
         if (reversed)
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamily.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamily.java
index 38bc0d78e3..cb715dea43 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamily.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamily.java
@@ -81,9 +81,9 @@ public class ColumnFamily extends AbstractColumnContainer
         this.cfm = cfm;
     }
     
-    public ColumnFamily cloneMeShallow(ISortedColumns.Factory factory)
+    public ColumnFamily cloneMeShallow(ISortedColumns.Factory factory, boolean reversedInsertOrder)
     {
-        ColumnFamily cf = ColumnFamily.create(cfm, factory);
+        ColumnFamily cf = ColumnFamily.create(cfm, factory, reversedInsertOrder);
         // since deletion info is immutable, aliasing it is fine
         cf.deletionInfo.set(deletionInfo.get());
         return cf;
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ public class ColumnFamily extends AbstractColumnContainer
 
     public ColumnFamily cloneMeShallow()
     {
-        return cloneMeShallow(columns.getFactory());
+        return cloneMeShallow(columns.getFactory(), columns.isInsertReversed());
     }
 
     public AbstractType getSubComparator()
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamilyStore.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamilyStore.java
index 33cafbbd80..a98213a7d8 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamilyStore.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ColumnFamilyStore.java
@@ -1194,7 +1194,7 @@ public class ColumnFamilyStore implements ColumnFamilyStoreMBean
                     IColumn sc = cached.getColumn(filter.path.superColumnName);
                     if (sc == null || sliceFilter.count >= sc.getSubColumns().size())
                     {
-                        ColumnFamily cf = cached.cloneMeShallow(ArrayBackedSortedColumns.factory());
+                        ColumnFamily cf = cached.cloneMeShallow(ArrayBackedSortedColumns.factory(), filter.filter.isReversed());
                         if (sc != null)
                             cf.addColumn(sc, HeapAllocator.instance);
                         return removeDeleted(cf, gcBefore);
@@ -1213,7 +1213,7 @@ public class ColumnFamilyStore implements ColumnFamilyStoreMBean
         }
 
         IColumnIterator ci = filter.getMemtableColumnIterator(cached, null, getComparator());
-        ColumnFamily cf = ci.getColumnFamily().cloneMeShallow(ArrayBackedSortedColumns.factory());
+        ColumnFamily cf = ci.getColumnFamily().cloneMeShallow(ArrayBackedSortedColumns.factory(), filter.filter.isReversed());
         filter.collateColumns(cf, Collections.singletonList(ci), getComparator(), gcBefore);
         // TODO this is necessary because when we collate supercolumns together, we don't check
         // their subcolumns for relevance, so we need to do a second prune post facto here.
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ISortedColumns.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ISortedColumns.java
index 624dec7113..9f66ed04d6 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ISortedColumns.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ISortedColumns.java
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@ public interface ISortedColumns extends IIterableColumns
      */
     public Iterator<IColumn> reverseIterator();
 
+    /**
+     * Returns if this map only support inserts in reverse order.
+     */
+    public boolean isInsertReversed();
+
     public interface Factory
     {
         /**
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ThreadSafeSortedColumns.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ThreadSafeSortedColumns.java
index 13a111ad3b..1b2f9d3fd5 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ThreadSafeSortedColumns.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/ThreadSafeSortedColumns.java
@@ -72,6 +72,11 @@ public class ThreadSafeSortedColumns extends ConcurrentSkipListMap<ByteBuffer, I
         return new ThreadSafeSortedColumns(this);
     }
 
+    public boolean isInsertReversed()
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
+
     /*
      * If we find an old column that has the same name
      * the ask it to resolve itself else add the new column
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/TreeMapBackedSortedColumns.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/TreeMapBackedSortedColumns.java
index 6c3fc42d1b..f14436de4a 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/TreeMapBackedSortedColumns.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/TreeMapBackedSortedColumns.java
@@ -72,6 +72,11 @@ public class TreeMapBackedSortedColumns extends TreeMap<ByteBuffer, IColumn> imp
         return new TreeMapBackedSortedColumns(this);
     }
 
+    public boolean isInsertReversed()
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
+
     /*
      * If we find an old column that has the same name
      * the ask it to resolve itself else add the new column