Benstonea lauterbachii (K.Schum. & Warb. ex Warb.) Callm. & Buerki

Callmander, M.W. et al (2012) Candollea 67(2): 335.

Lauterbach's Pandan; Pandan, Lauterbach's

Tree to ca. 15 m tall, trunk with scattered groups of spiny conical nodules (warty). Prop roots absent or few to ca. 100 cm long, slender, flexible and not supportive. Plants male or female.

Leaves linear, arching, apex acute, margins shallowly undulate, adult to 1-3 m long x 5-7.5 cm diam. Leaf base clasping the stem. Spines on margins and on underside midrib except near base; on margins spines ascending, on midrib underside they are variously pointing towards base and towards tip.

A terminal raceme or panicle. Male flowers: Inflorescence to 120 cm long. Flowers fragrant. Female flowers: Inflorescences of 7-15 segments (phalanges or multiple fused flowers). Individual flowers sessile, at mid-section hexagonal in cross-section, apex elongated into a spine-like style 5-10 mm long.

Fruit a multiple fruit, orange and orange-yellow towards base, of 7-15 multiple fused fruit. Individual fruits when separated are cylindric-tapered, at mid-section are pentagonal-hexagonal in cross-section., 18-25 mm long x 5-8 mm wide with apex elongated into a spine-like style 5-10 mm long. Seed is ovoid, 8-15 mm long x 3-5 mm diam.

Features not available.

Occurs in CYP and with an outlying occurrence in NEQ at the Hull River near Tully (between Cairns and Townsville). Altitudinal range from near sea level to 45 m. Grows along rivers in rainforest, swamp forest, woodland and on mangrove edges. Also known from New Guinea.

Pandanus lauterbachii K.Schum. & Warb. ex Warb., Das Pflanzenreich 3: 81 (1900), Type: Deutsch Neuguinea (Lauterbach n. 863).