6652

17: Fibre plants

Pandanus labyrinthicus Kurz

PANDANACEAE

Indonesia: pandan (tunjang) rasau (Sumatra), alohakai (Simeuluë). Malaysia: pandan rasau.

West coast of Sumatra, perhaps Java.

The leaves are brittle and less suitable for plaiting work, though they are used for this purpose. The split stems, with the spiny outer layer and the core removed, are made into fairly durable plaited walls.

A dioecious shrub, 3—6 m tall, with the stem growing in an erecto-patent or horizontal direction for a long time, turning to all sides, emitting many criss-cross growing prop roots, which form an impenetrable labyrinth. Leaves linear, 1.3—2 m x 2.5—4.5 cm, margin and midrib below armed with prickles up to 4 mm long, apex gradually tapering into a triquetrous point, shiny green. Male inflorescence spicate, pendulous, 50—60 cm long, with numerous spikes arranged in a raceme; bracts linear-lanceolate; staminal phalanges 8—15 mm long, apically with 12—18 umbellate, distinctly stalked anthers. Female inflorescence pendulous, consisting of 8—13 spicately arranged heads; carpels ellipsoid-obovoid, 1.5—2.5 cm long, ripening as a bright orange drupe, stigma subulate or forked, endocarp near the middle, with a flat top. Fruit a syncarpous polydrupe, rounded-ellipsoid, 8—12 cm x 6—8 cm. Pandanus labyrinthicus occurs in swampy locations and along river banks. According to B.C. Stone, Pandanus labyrinthicus is classified in subgenus Rykia, section Rykia.

[6]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
[20]Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
[71]Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlandsch-Indië [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd Edition. 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch Indië. 1953 pp. (3rd Edition, 1950. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands / Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 pp.)
[176]Stone, B.C., 1974. Towards an improved infrageneric classification in Pandanus (Pandanaceae). Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 94(4): 459—540.

M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch

Brink, M., Jansen, P.C.M. & Bosch, C.H., 2003. Pandanus labyrinthicus Kurz. In: Brink, M and Escobin, R.P. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 17: Fibre plants. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea