Pandanus elatus is a dioecious tropical plant in the Pandanus. It is endemism to Christmas Island, an territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. Its specific epithet comes from the Latin elatus (tall), in reference to its growth habit.[Flora of Australia Online.]
Description
Pandanus elatus is an erect tree, with basal
Aerial root, that grows to 20 m in height. Its
leaf 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.
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Distribution and habitat
Found only on Christmas Island, the tree is found on deeper soils in the rainforest, sometimes in small groves.[
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Taxonomy
The tree is closely related to Pandanus leram Jones, of the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands and the southern coasts of Sumatra and western Java.[
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Notes
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