The Current Understanding of Fungi Associated with Pandanaceae

It is hoped that an enumeration of microfungi inhabiting decaying parts of the monocotyledon family Pandanaceae will help in the analysis and calculation of tropical biodiversity. The taxonomy of the Pandanceae is outlined. It is largely a tropical family comprised of four genera, Freycinetia, Martellidendron, Pandanus, and Sararanga. There are almost 300 species of Freycinetia, woody climbers found in Australasia, parts of south-east Asia and Sri Lanka. The distribution of Pandanus (ca. 600 species), typically trees or shrubs, also extends to western Africa Madagascar, Seychelles, and Mauritius. Martellidendron has only seven species, restricted to Seychelles and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, while Sararanga has only two species restricted to the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Previous studies of fungi associated with the Pandanaceae are outlined.