Pandanus christmatensis

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Pandanus christmatensis
Pandanus christmatensis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Pandanales
Family: Pandanaceae
Genus: Pandanus
Species:
P. christmatensis
Binomial name
Pandanus christmatensis
Synonyms
  • Pandanus nativitatis Ridl.

Pandanus christmatensis is a dioecious tropical plant in the screwpine genus. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet, "christmatensis", comes from its native locality. [2]

Contents

Description

Pandanus christmatensis is a small tree or shrub, with prop roots, that grows to 10 m in height. Its leaves are 1–2 m long and 50–80 mm wide, dark green and with marginal prickles. The inflorescence has white bracts. The fruit is orange when ripe. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The plant forms dense, tangled thickets on the shore terraces of the island, often next to the sea, on exposed limestone cliffs with little soil. It also occurs inland beneath the rainforest canopy, particularly on limestone scree. [2]

Taxonomy

The plant is closely related to Pandanus tectorius , which is widely distributed through the region, and is very similar to Pandanus platycarpus from Zanzibar. [2]

Related Research Articles

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Harold St. John was a professor of botany at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa from 1929 to 1958. A prolific specialist in field botany and systematics, he is credited with discovering about 500 new species of Pandanus, along with many other species, especially in the Pacific Islands.

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<i>Pandanus forsteri</i> Species of tree

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<i>Pandanus vandermeeschii</i> Species of plant

Pandanus vandermeeschii is a species of plant in the family Pandanaceae. It is endemic to the coastal areas of Mauritius.

<i>Pandanus iceryi</i> Species of plant

Pandanus iceryi ("Vacoas") is a species of plant in the family Pandanaceae. It is endemic to Mauritius.

<i>Pandanus heterocarpus</i> Species of plant

Pandanus heterocarpus is a species of plant in the family Pandanaceae. It is commonly called the "Rodrigues screwpine", known locally as "vacoa parasol" or "vacoa cale rouge". It is endemic to the island of Rodrigues.

<i>Pandanus eydouxia</i> Species of plant

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Pandanus dubius, commonly known as bakong or knob-fruited screwpine, is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) native to Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Western Pacific islands, and possibly also to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Pandanus whitmeeanus, commonly known as the Samoan pandanus, is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) believed to be native to Vanuatu. It has been introduced to Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, and the Hoorn Islands by Austronesian voyagers. It is also known in Samoan and Tongan as ‘ara ‘āmoa or paogo.

Wildlife of Christmas Island

The wildlife of Christmas Island is composed of the flora and fauna of this isolated island in the tropical Indian Ocean. Christmas Island is the summit plateau of an underwater volcano. It is mostly clad in tropical rainforest and has karst, cliffs, wetlands, coasts and sea. It is a small island with a land area of 135 km2 (52 sq mi), 63% of which has been declared a National park. Most of the rainforest remains intact and supports a large range of endemic species of animals and plants.

Pandanus aridus is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Pandanaceae. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, found in fragmented locations in the southern third of the country. Pandanus aridus H. St. John is the accepted name, with a synonym of Pandanus toliarensis Huynh.

Pandanus dauphinensis a species of plant in the family Pandanaceae. It is native to coastal southeast Madagascar. Some references list Pandanus concretus as the accepted name, with numerous synonyms, including Pandanus centrifugalis, P. dauphinensis, P. erectus and P. madagascarensis. Panadus dauphinensis has cylindric complex fruits (syncarps) 18-20 cm long, and relatively broad leaves 12 cm or more in width with strong cross veining on the upper surface, including near the tip.

References

Notes

  1. Martelli (1905).
  2. 1 2 3 4 Flora of Australia Online.

Sources