Richea pandanifolia

Kuntze Richea pandanifolia, the pandani or giant grass tree, is a distinctive endemic Tasmanian angiosperm.

It is dicot of the family Ericaceae[1] and is found in central, western and south west Tasmania.

[3] The first European description of this plant was by botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker in his 1844 publication The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror.

One proposes that the diversity in endemic Tasmanian Richea species could be due to them being the relics of Gondwanan fragmentation.

[6] This unusual display of endemism can be explained in part as Richea is a genus of Gondwanan origin.

Since the break-up of Gondwana, mainland Australia has become inhospitable for many Gondwanan species and Tasmania has become a refuge for many genera that used to thrive on the supercontinent.

Inflorescence at leaf axis
Persistent leaves
Richea pandanifolia distribution