Pandanus elatus is a dioecious tropical plant in the screwpine genus. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. Its specific epithet comes from the Latin elatus (tall), in reference to its growth habit.[2]
Description
Pandanus elatus is an erect tree, with basal prop roots, that grows to 20 m in height. Its leaves grow to 3 m long and 100 mm wide, dark green and with marginal prickles. The plants do not form the densely tangled thickets that characterise P. christmatensis.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Found only on Christmas Island, the tree is found on deeper soils in the rainforest, sometimes in small groves.[2]
Taxonomy
The tree is closely related to P. leram Jones, of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the southern coasts of Sumatra and western Java.[2]
References
Notes
Sources
- Ridley, H.N. (1906). Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 45: 239.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - "Pandanus elatus Ridl". Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study. 1993. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
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