Pandanus grayorum
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Use Australian English |date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=February 2023}}
{{Speciesbox
|name =
|image = Pandanus grayorum 25407744.jpg
|image_caption =
|status = LC
|status_system = QLDNCA
|status_ref = {{R|DESQLD}}
|taxon = Pandanus grayorum
|authority = Calim., Buerki, Gallaher{{R|APNI|POWO}}
|range_map =
|range_map_caption =
}}
Pandanus grayorum is a plant in the family Pandanaceae which is endemic to a very small area of northeast Queensland. It is closely related to both Pandanus gemmifer and Pandanus solms-laubachii, and it coexists with the latter.
Description
Pandanus grayorum is an evergreen tree growing up to {{cvt|9|m}} high. Like P. gemmifer the stem is marked with spirally arranged nodules, and there are numerous "pups" or plantlets on the branches. There may be prop or stilt roots up to {{cvt|50|cm}} high emanating from the lowest portion of the stem. Leaves are about {{cvt|250|cm}} long, {{cvt|9|cm}} wide at the base and tapering gradually along the full length to a fine point. Small spurs occur along the leaf margins and midrib.{{R|PLAZI}}
The inflorescence is terminal and pendant, occurring from mid-spring to mid-summer. The fruit is a syncarp measuring up to {{cvt|40|cm}} long by {{cvt|22|cm}} wide, orange-red in colour, with numerous segments each with 12{{endash}}18 carpels. Fruit mature over a period of almost 12 months, ripening around the same time as the next season's flowers appear.{{R|PLAZI}} The tree can also reproduce by means of the "pups", which detach and fall to the ground and can grow into a new plant beneath the parent.{{R|PLAZI|ASB}}
Taxonomy
This species was first described in 2020 by Martin Wilhelm Callmander, Sven Buerki, Frank Zich, Ashley R. Field and Timothy Gallaher. Their paper, titled "Pandanus grayorum (Pandanaceae), a new species endemic to north-eastern Queensland (Australia)", was published in June 2021 in the journal Australian Systematic Botany.{{R|ASB}}
=Etymology=
The species epithet grayorum was chosen by the authors to honour the Australian botanist Bruce Gray, who spent many years working in North Queensland,{{R|ANBG}} on his 80th birthday.{{R|APNI|PLAZI}}
Distribution and habitat
Pandanus grayorum has a very limited distribution, occurring in lowland rainforest and mangrove forest margins in close proximity to the Russell, Mulgrave, Johnstone, Alice, and Moresby rivers in the coastal area between Cairns and Silkwood.{{R|PLAZI|RFK}} It has an extent of occurrence (EEO) of {{cvt|231|km2}}, with a very small area of occupancy (AOO) of just {{cvt|28|km2}}.{{R|PLAZI}}
Conservation
This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as least concern.{{R|DESQLD}} {{As of|2023|02|15}}, it has not been assessed by the IUCN.
The authors suggest in their paper that the species be given a status of vulnerable, due to the fact that most collections of it are from outside protected areas, and the areas adjacent to occurrences are mostly agricultural which are potentially subject to clearing.{{R|PLAZI|ASB}}
Gallery
File:Pandanus grayorum 25407771.jpg
File:Pandanus grayorum 25407787.jpg
File:Pandanus grayorum 25407800.jpg
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web |url=https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=41779 |title=Species profile—Pandanus grayorum |year=2022 |website=Queensland Department of Environment and Science |publisher=Queensland Government |access-date=15 February 2023}}
{{cite web |url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/51415418 |title=Pandanus grayorum |website=Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government |access-date=15 February 2023}}
{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77218210-1 |title=Pandanus grayorum Callm., Buerki & Gallaher |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=15 February 2023}}
{{cite web |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/pandanus_sp._russell_river.htm |title=Pandanus sp. Russell River |author1=F.A.Zich |author2=B.P.M.Hyland |author3=T.Whiffen |author4=R.A.Kerrigan |author2-link=Bernard Hyland |year=2020 |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government |access-date=19 February 2023}}
}}
External links
- {{Wikispecies-inline |Pandanus grayorum |Pandanus grayorum}}
- {{Commons category-inline |Pandanus grayorum |Pandanus grayorum}}
- [https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Pandanus+grayorum#tab_mapView View a map] of historical sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- [https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?taxon_id=1449499 View observations] of this species on iNaturalist
- [https://flickriver.com/search/Pandanus+grayorum View images] of this species on Flickriver
{{Taxonbar |from=Q116784337}}