Where does Pandanus candelabrum grow?
The plant, Pandanus candelabrum, is found specifically in Liberia and has adapted to certain mineral conditions in soil above potentially diamond bearing kimberlites. The soil is rich in magnesium, potassium and phosphorus coming from the unique mineralogy of kimberlites as they weather into the overlying soil.
A grove of Pandanus candelabrum, which appears to grow only in diamond-bearing kimberlite soils. Diamonds are formed hundreds of kilometers below the surface, as carbon is squeezed under intense temperatures and pressures.
Pandanus candelabrum, also known as the chandelier tree, is a species of screw palm found in tropical Africa, notably Liberia.
They are serpentinized mica peridotites that contain a variety of high pressure minerals, including diamonds. The most notable are found in South Africa, Tanzania, Angola, and Siberia. Kimberlites are often found associated with alkaline basaltic rocks and carbonatites.
While pandanus are distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical islands and coastlines of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, they are most numerous on the low islands and barren atolls of Polynesia and Micronesia. Other species are adapted to mountain habitats and riverine forests.
Being a tropical plant, pandan doesn't like too much sun or wind, and is best grown in a protected, part-shade position. A position that gets direct morning sun and a bit of dappled midday sun is ideal, but keep it away from hot afternoon sun!
Moissanites or white sapphires are most comparable to a diamond. While there are visible differences, these gems will look the closest to a diamond while offering a more affordable price. These stones are also high on the Mohs scale of relative hardness, making them suitable for everyday wear.
Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source. The policy here is "finders, keepers," meaning the diamonds you find are yours to keep.
Deep in the earth
At depths of over 120km, through intense heat of between 900°C and 1300°C, pressures of 45 kbar and above and over millions and often billions of years, this incredible miracle happens – carbon crystallizes to form diamonds.
The genus is characterized by numerous long, narrow, parallel-veined, palmlike leaves with spiny margins and midribs that are produced in tufts at the branch tips in three or four close twisted ranks around the stem, forming the screwlike helices of leaves that give the common name screw pine to these plants.
How many Pandanus are there?
Pandanus represents the largest genus among the four genera in the family Pandanaceae. Consisting of about 700 species, they are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, including the Pacific Islands, Malaysian islands, and Australia.
Pandanus utilis, native to Madagascar, is a tree to 60 feet with stilt-like prop roots. Branches are few, sleek, rounded, tipped with clusters of evergreen, strap-like spiny leaves three feet long and three inches wide.
Crater of Diamonds State Park, Murfreesboro, Arkansas
Want to mine for diamonds? Murfreesboro is the place to go. The Crater of Diamonds State Park, 120 miles from Little Rock, AR, is the only existing mine where visitors can prospect for diamonds and keep their findings.
One of the only places in the world where the public can search for real diamonds in their original volcanic source, Crater of Diamonds is a one-of-a-kind experience that brings people from all over the world to Murfreesboro, Arkansas.
Diamonds have funded brutal wars in countries such as Angola, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people. There is a reason they are dubbed 'Blood Diamonds'.
Candelabra trees are found near the equator and in the East Indies and Africa. They live in the savanna biome. The candelabra tree can grow up to 30 to 40 feet (10 m) tall. The branches all grow from one trunk, and look like little cactuses that grow near the top, giving it the shape of a candelabra.
Candelabra Cactus is native to dry and warm areas of southern and south-eastern parts of Africa.
There are many varieties of pandanus tree, but the only one that is reportedly indigenous to Hawaii is the pandanus tectorius, which is a tree that can grow as high as 50 feet and looks a little like a palm tree.
You can grow Pandan Grass (Pandanus amaryllifolius) as a flavorful houseplant. The chopped leaves give added flavor to rice dishes, especially desserts such as rice pudding. Along with the strappy leaves, this plant grows woody air roots that grow out of the soil and help anchor the plant.