72 
CXVI. PALMACE^. 
[Nipa, 
a considerable number of liqueurs and other drinks were at one time 
made from the alcohol obtained from the sugar, and proposals have 
been made to use it for motor spirit; the albumen of the seed is 
eaten by children. 
Order CLVII. PANDANACE^. 
Unisexual shrubs or trees or scandent shrubs {Freycinetia) with 
strong stilt or aerial roots, usually branched. Leaves in a spiral, 
linear or lorate, acuminate or tailed, spinulose on the edges or keel 
(very rarely unarmed), coriaceous. Spikes axillary or terminal, 
with leafy bracts. Flowers very numerous, small. Perianth none. 
Male flowers of numerous, free or connate stamens. Female 
flowers of a one-celled ovary with or without staminodes, free or 
connate in a head. Style spine-like, simple or branched. Stigma 
sessile, generally linear. Fruit a globose or cylindric mass of woody 
or fleshy angular drupes of solitary or several connate ovaries. 
Seeds minute. Species 200, tropical Asia and Africa to Polynesia. 
Stems erect; carpels one-ovuled . . . . i. Pand.anus 
Stems scandent: carpels many-ovuled . . .2. Freycinetia 
1 . PANDANUS, Linn. 
Unisexual trees or shrubs, erect, branched, with grey stems often 
rough, with suppressed roots, and with numerous stilt roots at the 
base, Male spikes pendulous with white bracts, fragrant. Female 
flowers in globose or oblong heads (syncarp), solitary or up to 6 on a 
raceme. Drupes several connate into one mass, or separate woody or 
somewhat fleshy, closely compressed in the syncarp, the free top conic 
or flat, often angled, the style spiny, simple, or with 2 to 4 acute 
points. Stigma linear on the upper {Ryckia) or lower style face. 
In most species the male plants are very rare or quite unknown, although 
the females may be abundant; consequently ripe fruit is also rare. The earlier 
descriptions of species are often extremely poor, being derived mainly from 
herbarium scraps. These plants can only be adequately studied and described 
in the field. 
Species about 150, Old World tropics. Native name: Pandan 
or Mengkuang. 
§ I. Keura. Drupes connate, 5 or 6 in one mass. Syncarp very globose, 
orange. 
Sea-shore shrub; style very short, horseshoe¬ 
shaped . . . . . . (i) P. fascicularis 
Mountain shrub; style with 2 spreading points . (2) P. Klossii 
§2. Ryckia. Drupes separate; stigmas forked on upper side of style. 
Syncarp solitary, oblong, over i ft. long; tree . (3) P. Houlletii 
Syncarp solitary, globose. 
Leaves conspicuously 3-nerved. 
Stem erect. 
Leaves i to 3 ft. long, 2 to 3 in. wide; 
style flattened with 2 points . . • (4} P. bideng 
