Pandanaceae

views updated May 14 2018

Pandanaceae A family of monocotyledonous (Monocotyledoneae) trees and climbers in which the leaves are strap-like, leathery, with a spiny margin, in 3 or 4 conspicuous spirals. The flowers are small, unisexual, and held in heads subtended by a large, often coloured bract (not Sararanga). The fruit is a berry or drupe, sometimes woody, united with the perianth into a globose or cylindrical head. There are 3 genera, with 675 species, confined to the Old World tropics.

Pandanus

views updated May 11 2018

Pandanus (screw pines; family Pandanaceae) A genus of trees which usually have stilt roots and open, falsely dichotomously branched crowns. The leaves are in 3 spiral ranks. The fruit heads are often reddish. Some fruits are edible (especially those occurring in New Guinea and Micronesia). Leaves are used for matting. There are about 600 species.