Species Identification Key for Indian Pandanaceae

Abstract

The Indian Pandanus species are classified using Stone’s infrageneric classification system (1974). In Stone’s classification, several sections are taxonomically difficult, with conflicting interpretation of species boundaries and their interrelationships (Stone 1974). The previously published classification systems are based on female plants only because of the ephemeral nature of staminate inflorescence, and lack of sufficient characters in leaf and diagnostic characters in fruit (Kam 1971). In the present study, we critically analyzed all Indian species for the vegetative, inflorescence, and infructescence characters and classified them according to the subgenera, sections, subsections, and species level (Key 5.1). In addition, the micro-morphological characters with respect to the abaxial stomata and epidermal papillae were considered and a key is provided that could be used to identify the species at a preliminary level. The taxonomists working on Pandanaceae are of the opinion that the leaf epidermises are identical throughout the genus, with considerable difference in stomatal size and distribution pattern of papillae (Tomlinson 1965; Kam 1971; Solla 1884), which can be used for systematic purposes (Kam 1971).