Pandanus_christmatensis

<i>Pandanus christmatensis</i>

Pandanus christmatensis

Species of flowering plant

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]

Quick Facts Pandanus christmatensis, Scientific classification ...

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]

References

Notes

  1. [1]
    Martelli (1905).
  2. [2]
    Flora of Australia Online.

Sources

  • Martelli, U. (1905). Webbia. 1: 362. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • "Pandanus christmatensis Martelli". Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study. 1993. Retrieved 2010-11-23.


Stub icon

This Pandanales-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Pandanus_christmatensis, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.