the top. Often there is a fruit looking somewhat like a pineapple. It is a multiple fruit, an attractive orange or red when ripe, made up of clearly defined carpels which when fully ripe, break off, and—if not eaten by an animal—can be seen lying on the beach waiting for the tide to take them to another spot to germinate. P. tectorius is often planted in seaside gardens because of its ability to withstand strong, salty, sea winds.
The leaves are long, dark green and very stiff, with spines along the edges and, in some species, along the midrib. They are spirally arranged on the trunk, hence the common name. These leaves are of economic importance in village and cottage industries, where the work is done mainly by women. Initially the leaves are cut and the spines stripped off (a painful procedure). Then the leaves are torn into various widths, dried and tied in hanks, dyed with synthetic dyes, and woven into mats, baskets, hats, trays and other objects for sale in tourist markets.
Pandanus amaryllifolius (opposite middle left), is a domesticated species without spines of which many forms have been cultivated, including one called the Pandan serani the 'Eurasian pandan' in the Malay language. The origin of this name is obscure. P amaryllifolius is a small species of about 50 cm characterized by very sweet-smelling leaves. It is cultivated extensively throughout India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia to provide flavoring for food. It is also grated very finely into a pot-pourri mixture for temple and altar offerings and, rather peculiarly, to be placed in drawers and taxis to deter cockroaches.
The species on opposite top left is P. spiralis which has a marked twist to its habit of growth, and the variegated form, opposite bottom, is a cultivated ornamental.
Tree Fern
Cyathea spp.
Botanical family: Cyatheaceae
Tree ferns are forest dwellers, partial to dim coolness and damp. Some are found in lowland forests where they do not grow very tall (up to 3 m). The tree ferns found in the hills and upland areas of the tropics do very much better and are a conspicuous feature of these areas. They also grow in more open secondary forest.
The tree fern resembles a delicate palm tree. It has a rough and hairy trunk, marked with the remains of leaf bases. The fern fronds at the growing tip look like palm fronds as they are concentrated at the top of the trunk.
Within the genus they are easy to pick out, but to identify species requires a deeper knowledge of the scaly young parts and leaves. A clue may come from the name, taken from the Greek word for cup, kyatheion: this is what to look for in the cover of the spore cases that are found on the lower side of the fern frond.
Tree ferns are often logged for the horticultural trade as the trunks make good growing poles for epiphytic plants.
Bird's Nest Fern
Asplenium nidus
Botanical family: Asplemaceae
This is a popular house plant in temperate climate homes where it forms a dainty roseate of about 10 cm. In its native Old World tropics it can grow to 2 m across.
In its natural habitat, Asplenium nidus varies in size depending on its location and the availability of water and a continuous supply of decomposing detritus from trees and insects which provide the fern with nutrients. This matter falls into the 'nest' formed by the fronds which grow in alternately overlapping circles.
A colonizing fern, it is epiphytic on suitable trees, but is commonly seen on the ground where it has fallen from its perch but continues to grow As the fern grows upward and outward simultaneously, the root mass becomes deeper and spongier and is able to hold a great quantity of water. This attracts other fern spores to colonize the root mass. In some Malay rural areas, the plant is believed to have supernatural properties, or of being the home of the lansuir, a female banshee hostile to pregnant women.
Gingers
Alpinia purpurata; Costus speciosus; Nicolaia elatior, Tapeinochilus ananassae; Zingiber officinale
Botanical familys: Costaceae; Zingiberaceae
Gingers are among the flashier members of the plant world. They have a high profile in coffee-table books and are the mainstay of the tropical cut flower industry.
Costus speciosus (see opposite centre left) is a member of the family Costaceae. The fleshy velvety leaves grow spirally around the stem in a characteristic clockwise direction. The stem is cane-like, reddish and tall, and the dark red inflorescence is terminal on the stem. The white or slightly pink flower, tubular with a pretty frill, emerges from the bracts and is edible. The rhizome is used for medicinal purposes.
Tapeinochilus ananassae, also from the family Costaceae, is appropriately known as the wax ginger (see far right). The plant produces canes that are dark red in color and tall, but, unlike the Costus speciosus, it branches at the top of the stem. The inflorescence has large bracts—red, shiny, stiff and pineapple-like—with insignificant flowers. It does not grow tall; several cluster around the base of the plant.
Alpinia purpurata (on bottom right) is a zingiber. It is a popular landscape ginger, the pink form of which is called 'Eileen Mcdonald'. The plant propagates itself by producing plantlets from the flowering bracts.
Nicolaia elatior (on opposite top left) belongs to the Zingeberaceae. Called the torch ginger, its leafstalks are tall, about 10 to 15 m and the 'torch' itself is about 1 to 2 m. Torches, produced singly from the ground on a long stalk, are composed of big flower heads of waxy overlapping bracts with small flowers. In Southeast Asia they are visited by small sunbirds, as each row of flowers opens in turn. The bud is used sparingly as a flavoring for food.
Zingiber officinale, the oldest 'Oriental' spice known to the Western world is the familiar ginger rhizome used worldwide (see above left). Although it was recorded in China 500 years ago, its place of origin is unknown, but it is suspected to be an Indian cultigen.
Banana Plant
Musa spp.
Botanical family: Musaceae
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