Biology:Pandanus spiralis

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Short description: Species of plant native to Australia

Pandanus spiralis
Growing in Kakadu National Park
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Pandanales
Family: Pandanaceae
Genus: Pandanus
Species:
P. spiralis
Binomial name
Pandanus spiralis

Pandanus spiralis is a small tree in the family Pandanaceae native to northern Australia. It is commonly called pandanus, spring pandanus, screw palm or screw pine, although it is neither a palm nor a pine.

Description

Pandanus spiralis is a small tree growing up to Template:Convert abbreviated tall with a slender trunk, and often with a clumping habit. Prop roots may be present, but are more often absent. The leaves are Template:Convert abbreviated long and Template:Convert abbreviated wide, and they may or may not have sharp spines along the leaf margins and midrib. They are arranged spirally on the trunk and branches, and crowded towards their tips. As the leaves die they can form a dense pendant skirt around the trunk below the growing part, and lower down on the trunk the leaf bases often persist, forming a conspicuous spiral.[4][5]

The inflorescences are terminal—on the male plants it is a pendant string of several spadices each about Template:Convert abbreviated long, while on the female plants it is a single head about Template:Convert abbreviated long shrouded by large leafy bracts.[4][5]

The fruit is a multiple fruit consisting of 10–25 segments measuring Template:Convert abbreviated long and Template:Convert abbreviated wide, known as "phalanges". The phalanges are composed of a dense fibrous material with 5–7 seeds embedded in it. The fruit is initially green and turn orange or red when ripe.[4][5]

Taxonomy

This species was first described by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown in his book Prodromus floræ Novæ Hollandiæ et Insulæ Van-Diemen, published in 1810.[6]

Infraspecies

Five varieties are recognised as of June 2024, as follows:[3]

  • Pandanus spiralis var. convexus (H.St.John) B.C.Stone – synonyms P. convexus H.St.John and P. integer H.St.John
  • Pandanus spiralis var. flammeus B.C.Stone
  • Pandanus spiralis var. multimammillatus B.C.Stone
  • Pandanus spiralis var. spiralis – autonym
  • Pandanus spiralis var. thermalis (H.St.John) B.C.Stone – synonym P. thermalis H.St.John

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and the extreme north of Western Australia. It grows in savannah woodlands and poorly drained areas such as alongside creeks and rivers, the margins of floodplains, and coastal dunes, on various substrates including sand, alluvium and clay.[4][5][7][8][9]

Ecology

The dense skirt of old leaves provides a refuge for many forms of wildlife including birds, bats, rodents and lizards. The seeds within the fruit are eaten by cockatoos and possums.[10][11]

Uses

The leaves of this tree are used to weave various products such as neckbands, armbands, baskets, mats, fish traps and shelters, and the fibre can be stripped out to make string for dillybags and other uses. The trunks are used to build rafts.[4][5][10][12][13] The plant has a number of medicinal uses including as an antiseptic, analgesic, and to treat dysentery and diarrhoea.[4][5][14]. The white stem part of the leaf is pounded to make an anaesthetic for tooth pain.[15] The leaf bases are eaten and the seeds can be eaten raw or roasted, and may be ground to make flour.[4][5][11] The fully ripe fruit are used ceremonially because of their scent.[15]

  • Trunk with persistent leaf bases
    Trunk with persistent leaf bases
  • Ripening fruit
    Ripening fruit
  • A segment (phalange) of the fallen fruit
    A segment (phalange) of the fallen fruit
  • Growing on a coastal sandbank
    Growing on a coastal sandbank
  • Detail of spines on the leaf margin
    Detail of spines on the leaf margin
  • Spiral arrangement of the leaves
    Spiral arrangement of the leaves

References

  1. ↑ IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2021). "Pandanus spiralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T192234266A192234268.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/192234266/192234268. Retrieved 17 June 2024. 
  2. ↑ "Pandanus spiralis". Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/90384. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Pandanus spiralis R.Br.". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:671509-1. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Wilson, A.J.G. (2022). "Pandanus spiralis". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Pandanus%20spiralis. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Lim, T. K. (13 June 2012). "Pandanus spiralis". Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 4, Fruits. Springer. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-94-007-4052-5. 
  6. ↑ Brown, Robert (1810) (in la). Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. London: R. Taylor and associates. p. 341. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36315618. 
  7. ↑ "Pandanus spiralis". Northern Territory Government, Darwin.. https://eflora.nt.gov.au/factsheet?id=4135. 
  8. ↑ "Pandanus spiralis". Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Government of Western Australia. 2021. https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/104. 
  9. ↑ "Search: species: Pandanus spiralis | Occurrence records". Australian Government. https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Pandanus%20spiralis#tab_mapView. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Pandanus". Parks Australia, Australian Government. https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/discover/nature/plants/pandanus/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Flora and Fauna". Thuringowa City Council. http://riverway.thuringowa.qld.gov.au/about/environment/flora. 
  12. ↑ Hamilton, Phillip (1996). "Pandanus". http://geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2970/pandanus.htm. 
  13. ↑ "Pandanus spiralis (R. Br.) Screw palm". http://tenpsnt.tripod.com/PhotoList/pandanus_spiralis.htm. 
  14. ↑ Lassak, E.V.; McCarthy, T. (1990). "Table of plant uses". Australian Medicinal Plants. Illustrated by Betty Hinton. Melbourne: Mandarin Publishing. pp. 209, 218. ISBN 1-86330-061-9. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Will Stubbs and John Wolseley, ed (2017). Midawarr Harvest: The Art of Mulkun Wirrpanda and John Wolseley. National Museum of Australia Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-921953-31-6. https://www.nma.gov.au/about/publications/midawarr-harvest. 

Wikidata ☰ Q291468 entry



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