''Pandanus tenuifolius'' ("Vacoa chevron") is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the family

Pandanaceae Pandanaceae is a family of flowering plants native to the tropics and subtropics of the Old World, from West Africa through the Pacific. It contains 982 known species in five genera, of which the type genus, ''Pandanus'', is the most important, wi ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the island of

Rodrigues Rodrigues (french: Île Rodrigues, link=yes ; Creole: ) is a autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Rodr ...

Description

Pandanus tenuifolius fruits - Grande Montagne 6

This small species grows to 5 meters in height, and grows relatively few branches, at an acute angle from its smooth trunk. The fruit heads are small (diameter 7–12 cm), rounded and each bears only 15-45 drupes. The exposed tip of each drupe is a smooth, rounded shape, and it ripens to a uniform, dark red colour.

Habitat

This species is endemic to the island of

. It is found mainly in small groups on the higher mountains and valley slopes of the island, where it shares its habitat with the other endemic ''

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

'' species, the more robust ''

Pandanus heterocarpus ''Pandanus heterocarpus'' is a species of plant in the family Pandanaceae. It is commonly called the "Rodrigues screwpine", known locally as "vacoa parasol" or "vacoa cale rouge". It is endemic to the island of Rodrigues. Description The Rodr ...

''. Inhabitants of the island use the leaves of both species for the fibres, and for making roofs, hats or baskets. The introduced exotic species ''

Pandanus utilis ''Pandanus utilis'', the common screwpine is, despite its name, a monocot and not a pine. It is native to Madagascar and naturalised in Mauritius and the Seychelles. Description The trunk features aerial prop roots. The leaves are linear and spi ...

'', from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, is also found growing in

, and can be confused with this species.

References

tenuifolius Endemic flora of Rodrigues Taxa named by Isaac Bayley Balfour {{Pandanales-stub