a CNS a aa cae 
Fie ae are, 
SSeS eS es 
= 
Scandent shrubs 3 ovary 1-celled, with numerous ovules along the 
Ravenala. | MUSACER. 505 
racemes robust, axillary, and shorter than the petiole, glabrous, the 
bracts distichous; elongate, boat-shaped, 1-2 ft. long, overlapping 
with their cordate bases, thick-coriaceous and stiff, pungent-acu- 
minate and slightly twisted, smooth, green; flowers large, whitish, 
sessile, half-whorled at the base of the bract; perianth-segments 
linear, 24-3 in. long, the inner ones shorter and narrower ; filaments 
an inch long, broader than the very long linear anthers ; style as 
long as the perianth ; capsules oblong, 2-3-cornered, 2-3 in. long, 
tardily dehiscing into 3 woody valves, brown, glabrous; seeds 
numerous, oblong, covered with a beautifully azure, fibrous arillus. 
Has.—Only rarely cultivated in gardens of Europeans. 
PANDANE. 
Flowers dioecious or polygamous, naked, on simple or branched 
spadices, protected by many spathes. Male flowers: stamens 
naked, simple or variously connate; anthers erect, 2-celled, the 
cells dehiscing longitudinally, truncate, or the connective produced. 
Female flowers: ovaries naked or rarely surrounded by sterile 
stamens, solitary or several, united into a bundle, 1-celled, the 
ovules solitary or numerous and inserted in 2 series along the 2-7 
parietal placentas; stigmas often sessile. Drupes fibrous-woody 
or fleshy, free or variously connate, 1- or many-seeded. Testa 
membranous or rarely crustaceous. Albumen fleshy. Embryo 
almost basal, small, with an inferior radicle—Trees, branched or 
simple-stemmed, or shrubs, often scandent, or supported by strong 
aéral roots. Leaves simple, elongate, sessile, parallel-nerved, often 
spiny along the margin, distichous or arranged in a triple or 
rarely simple spiral. Drupes simple or compound, collected in 
more or less compact heads (syncarps). : 
An order of little importance. The wood is coarse-fibrous, with 
age becoming bony and hard on the outside. The leaves of most 
Screw-pines serve for making mats, cordage, etc. 
a how or shrubs; ovary-cells usually 1l-ovuled, the ovules 
a. 
Pandanus. 
3.7 parietal placentas e Fr eycinetia. 
PANDANUS, Lf. 
Flowers dioecious. Males: spadix compound, fleshy, at the 
base and at the branchings furnished with usually yellow or white- | 
coloured spathes. Stamens very numerous, single or more usually 
variously united into bundles; anthers erect, 2-celled. Females: 
ix often simple, rarely branched, similarly protected by pale 
green rarely whitish leafy spathes. Ovaries free or connate, 1-celled, 
