5 6 7 5. A tall Pandanus species with dramatic stilt roots on the shore of Pandanus Lake. 6. Ripening Pandanus fruit clusters (infructescences) at Fairchild. 7. Seedlings of a large Pandanus species from South Thailand, shared with us by Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. fall 2016 35 The drooping flower cluster of the pandan does not recall to me anything else in the whole plant world. Masses of yellow flowers sit in the axils of long, white, leaf-like spathes. … In New Guinea, Dr. L. J. Brass reports, there are pandans a hundred feet tall, and the Papuans depend on their immense fruits for food. ~”The World Grows Round My Door” Pandanus in the Garden Fairchild currently has seven identified species of Pandanus planted in the Garden, along with several Yet-to-be-identified species. All but a handful are in the Lowlands due to their affinity for water. The known species in the garden are: P. dubius, P. odorifer, P. solms-laubachii, P. spiralis, P. tectorius, P. utilis and P. vandermeeschii. A large planting of diverse species follows the shore of Pandanus Lake. The oldest surviving Pandanus in the Garden, P. tectorius, was acquired in 1961. Students at the Biotech @ Richmond Heights high school are using Pandanus to study root growth. The accessibility of their large aerial roots provides an exciting opportunity to investigate an aspect of plant growth that is usually hidden beneath the soil. New introductions from plant exploration Recent Fairchild collecting trips to the Far East and Hawaii have begun a new phase expansion of Pandanus collection. Our 2013 Hawaii expedition yielded two new species, one of which is the especially ornamental Pandanus vandermeeschii of Mauritius, which has red-edged leaves. This striking species was shared with the Garden by the Waimea Valley Arboretum and Botanical Garden. From last year’s trip to Thailand, we brought back cuttings of a lovely silvery-glaucous-leafed Pandanus from Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. It that has rooted well and will soon be planted in the Lowlands. Our collaboration with Nong Nooch also yielded seedlings from a very large-leafed, tall, species from southern Thailand with colorful leaf bases; it was offered in the Members Day Plant Sale this year, and will soon also find a home in the Lowlands. We also obtained propagations of Pandanus amaryllifolius, giving us the opportunity to try fresh pandan leaves in cooking. From Singapore Botanic Gardens, we obtained cuttings of Pandanus pygmaeus that are doing well. This species creates a delightful miniature Pandanus form less than 3 feet high, complete with stilt roots. Also from Singapore Botanic Gardens, we received an elegant and mysterious silver-blue leafed Pandanus that does not form a trunk. Since we have not yet examined its inflorescence, we are not entirely sure it is a Pandanus; it may, in fact, belong to the closely-related genus Benstonea—which would be completely new to the collection. Pandanus is a large and fascinating group of plants, with many species that would be wonderful additions to the Garden. We look forward to finding more exciting introductions during our future travels to the East.
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