Revision of the Genus Pandanus Stickman, Part 26 
Pandanus mayotteensis from the lies Comores 
Harold St. John 1 
Up to the present there has been known 
only one species of Pandanus in the lies Co- 
mores, P. maximus Martelli (sect. Pandanus) , 
indigenous to the lie Grande Comore. Now, 
there can be announced a second species from 
the islands, P. mayotteensis (sect. Vinsonia ). 
The islands lie in the Mozambique Channel, 
about midway between Madagascar and Mo- 
zambique, Africa. 
Pandanus mayotteensis sp. nov. (sect. Vin- 
sonia) 
Figs. 245, 245 A, 2 46. 
nom. vern. : "doua,” "pandanus panache’ 
(= foreign Pandanus). 
diagnosis holotypi: Arbor 4-6 m alta 10 cm dia- 
metro, cortice brunneo sublaevi, radicibus fulturosis 
nullis, foliis 1.5-1 .6 m longis 5. 7-6. 7 cm latis supra 
olivaceis infra pailidioribus coriaceis in sectione 
mediali cum 43-45 nervis parallelis secundariis in 
dimidio quoque proxima basem cum nervis tertiis 
transversis eis reticulis breviter oblongis formantibus 
supra latiter sulcatis et cum plicis binis in sectione 
M-formatis laminis ligulatis sed in media ultima in 
apice 10 cm longo trigono subulato diminuentibus eo 
10 cm ex apice 5 mm lato basi amplexicauli inermi 
sed ex 10.5-15 cm marginibus cum serrae 0.7-1. 3 mm 
longis 2-8 mm separatis albis sed apicibus brunneis, 
midnervo infra paene ad medium inerni, in sectione 
mediali marginibus cum aculeis 0. 5-0.7 mm longis 
3-7 mm separatis subulatis adscendentibus valde 
adpressis albis, midnervo infra cum aculeis simulan- 
tibus sed 0.7-1 mm longis 4-7 mm separatis, in apice 
subulato marginibus et midnervo infra cum serrulis 
0.3-0. 5 mm longis 1.5-3 mm separatis, inflorescentia 
foeminea terminali cum syncarpio solitario erecto, 
pedunculo 35 cm longo 2 cm diametro recto 3- 
laterato cum bracteis foliosis paucis deciduis, syn- 
carpio 15 cm longo 14 cm diametro globoso cum 55 
phalangibus eis quando viridibus 5. 3-5. 5 cm longis 
3. 7- 4. 6 cm latis 3-4.4 cm crassis sed illis siccatis 
4.5 cm longis (forsan partim ex animalibus editis) 
2.8- 4. 1 cm latis 2. 2-3. 2 cm crassis brunneis (geminis 
5.6 cm latis et cum 6 loculis) cuneatis 5-6-angulosis 
"rubris” parte % supera libera lateribus planis apice 
depresse convexo (vel semiorbiculari) laevi lucido 
1 B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii 96819- 
Manuscript received May 1 6, 1963. 
quando submaturis sinu centrali brevi distincto 
0.5-2 mm profundo quando maturis sinibus 5-6 mm 
profundis confluentibus, carpelis 3-6, stigmatibus 4-8 
mm latis cordatis ad oblato-reniformibus brunneis 
papillosis centripetalibus in phalangibus viridibus 
prostratis sed in illis siccis obliquis et salientibus, 
endocarpio supramediali brunneo osseoso lateribus 
lateralibus 1 mm crassis intra laevibus et lucidis cum 
humeris, mesocarpio apicali cum fibris fortibus et 
medulla, mesocarpio basali fibroso et carnoso. 
DESCRIPTION OF ALL SPECIMENS EXAM- 
INED: Trees 4-6 m tall, 10-35 cm in diameter; 
bark brown, fairly smooth; prop roots none 
(or when present to 70 cm long, 2 cm in 
diameter, remotely muriculate) ; leaves 1.03- 
1.6 m long, 4-6.7 cm wide, above olive-green, 
below paler green, coriaceous, at midsection 
with 37-45 parallel secondary veins in each 
half ; near the base with tertiary cross veins, 
visible on both sides, making a network of 
short oblong meshes; blade with a broad cen- 
tral furrow and two lateral pleats, thus M- 
shaped in cross section, almost ligulate, but 
tapering in outer half to the trigonous subulate 
10 cm apex, this 10 cm down 5 mm wide, 
the base amplexicaul and unarmed, but begin- 
ning at 8-15 cm the margins with serrae 0.7— 
1.3 mm long, 2-8 mm apart, white with slight 
brown tips; on the underside the midrib un- 
armed almost to the middle; at midsection the 
margins with prickles 0.5-0. 7 mm long, 3-7 
mm apart, subulate, closely appressed ascend- 
ing, white; the nearby midrib below with sim- 
ilar prickles but these 0.7-1 mm long, 4-7 
mm apart; near the apex the margins and mid- 
rib with serrulations 0.3-0. 5 mm long, 1.5- 
3 mm apart; pistillate inflorescence terminal, 
bearing the solitary syncarp erect on a straight 
peduncle 35 cm long, 1.7-2 cm in diameter, 
3-sided, with a few deciduous leafy bracts; 
syncarp subglobose, 15 cm long, 14 cm in di- 
ameter, bearing 38-55 phalanges, these when 
still green 5. 3-5. 7 cm long, 3. 7-5. 5 cm wide, 
3-4.4 cm thick, but the fallen dried ones about 
4.5 cm long (though it is likely that animals 
99 
