Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae, and is the largest in the family.
Pachycauls are plants with a disproportionately thick trunk, for their height, and relatively few branches. With certain pachycaul species, particularly the more succulent varieties, they are commonly referred to as "caudiciformes", a reference to their trunk development of a moisture-filled caudex for periods of drought. By comparison, trees with thin twigs, such as oaks (Quercus), maples (Acer) and Eucalyptus, are called leptocauls; those with moderately thick twigs, such as Plumeria, are called mesocauls. Pachycauls can be the product of exceptional primary growth (as with Arecaceae and Cycadaceae) or disproportionate secondary growth, as with the baobabs (Adansonia). The word is derived from the Greek pachy- (meaning "thick" or "stout") and the Latin caulis (meaning "stem").
All of the arboreal (treelike) species of Cactaceae are pachycauls, as are most of the Arecaceae, Cycadaceae and Pandanus. The most extreme pachycauls are the floodplains, or river-bottom, varieties of the African palmyra (Borassus aethiopum), with primary growth up to 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) thick, and the Coquito palm (Jubaea chilensis), with its primary growth measuring up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) thick. The most pachycaulous cycad is Cycas thouarsii at up to 150 cm (59 in) diameter. The tallest pachycaul is the Andean wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), at heights of up to 66 m (217 ft), and around 41 cm (16 in) in diameter. The most pachycaulous cactus are the barrel cacti (Echinocactus platyacanthus), with primary growth up to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) diameter. The largest caudiciforme-type pachycaul is the African baobab (Adansonia digitata); one specimen of which, called the Glencoe baobab (from Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa) has a basal diameter (not girth) of 16 m (52 ft). However, this particular tree has suffered a severe trauma and is dying. Pachycauls also differ greatly in their rates of growth, from the half-man tree (Pachypodium namaquanum) which grows only 5 mm (0.20 in) each year to the palm Pigafetta elata which can grow 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) or more in one year.
The Austral Islands (French: Îles Australes, officially Archipel des Australes; Tahitian: Tuha'a Pae) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Geographically, they consist of two separate archipelagos, namely in the northwest the Tupua'i islands (French: Îles Tubuaï) consisting of the Îles Maria, Rimatara, Rūrutu, Tupua'i Island proper and Ra'ivāvae, and in the southeast the Bass Islands (French: Îles basses) composed of the main island of Rapa Iti and the small Marotiri (also known as Bass Rocks or Îlots de Bass). Inhabitants of the islands are known for their pandanus fiber weaving skills. The islands of Maria and Marotiri are not suitable for sustained habitation. Several of the islands have uninhabited islets or rocks off their coastlines. Austral Islands' population is 6,965 on almost 150 km (58 sq mi). The capital of the Austral Islands administrative subdivision is Tupua'i.
Pandanus amaryllifolius is a tropical plant in the Pandanus (screwpine) genus, which is commonly known as pandan (/ˈpændən/; Malay: [ˈpandan]). It has fragrant leaves which are used widely for flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia. It is also featured in some South Asian cuisines (such as Sri Lankan cuisine) and in Hainanese cuisine from China.
The Kerala backwaters are a network of brackish lagoons and canals running parallel to the Arabian Sea along the Malabar coast of Kerala state in south-western India. It also includes interconnected lakes, rivers, and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km (560 mi) of waterways, and sometimes compared to bayous. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both man made and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of the Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range. In the midst of this landscape there are a number of towns and cities, which serve as the start and end points of backwater cruises. There are 34 backwaters in Kerala. Out of it, 27 are located either closer to Arabian Sea or parallel to the sea. The remaining 7 are inland navigation routes.
The backwaters have a unique ecosystem: Freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea. A barrage has been built near Thanneermukkom, so salt water from the sea is prevented from entering the deep inside, keeping the fresh water intact. Such fresh water is extensively used for irrigation purposes. Many unique species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds such as terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles live in and along the backwaters. Palm trees, pandanus shrubs, various leafy plants, and bushes grow alongside the backwaters, providing a green hue to the surrounding landscape.
Pandanus utilis, commonly known as common screwpine or pimento thatch, is a species of monocot in the genus Pandanus, native to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Réunion, and naturalised in Madagascar (where it has often been thought native), the Seychelles, and elsewhere.
New Zealand flax describes the common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively. Although given the common name 'flax' they are quite distinct from the Northern Hemisphere plant known as flax (Linum usitatissimum).
P. tenax occurs naturally in New Zealand and Norfolk Island, while P. colensoi is endemic to New Zealand. They have played an important part in the cultural and economic history of New Zealand for both the Māori people (who adapted earlier Polynesian traditions of pandanus weaving otherwise unproductive in a colder climate) and the later European settlers.