Screw Pine
Pandanus sp.
Screw palm family (Pandanaceae)
A tree on stilts
Pandanus is called ‘screw pine’ because its leaves are arranged in a spiral but its most striking feature is actually the stilt roots. Officially they are adventitious roots that arise from the trunk and grow down to the ground.
There are about 600 kinds of screw palms, ranging in size from 1 to 20 m. They are native to warmer regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, especially along the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific where they cover large areas with a dense vegetation.
Pandanus species are very versatile. In some species the leaves are used, in others it is the flowers, fruits or wood.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam.
The mature leaves of the Pandan is used for handicrafts. Only the mature leaves are used (enabling natural regeneration), they are sliced into thin strips and weavers use these to produce basic pandan mats, or roll them into pandan ropes to be used for other products.
Fruits of some species of Pandanus are edible.
Mature leaves of the pandan or screw-pine can be used in a number of different ways. They are divided into fine strips that can then be woven to form mats or rolled into pandan ropes, which are used to make other products.
Fruit-eating birds and bats distribute the seeds of some species.
Details
| Description: | Tree, palm up to 20 m, dioecious. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | Tropica africa to oceania |
| Habitat: | Tropical and subtropical regions, sea coasts, marshlands and wet forests. |
| Hardiness: | 23 - 34 f (half-hardy - unheated glasshouse/mild winter) |