Pandanus

Scientific name

Pandanus Parkinson

Common names

pandanus palms, pandan, screw palm, screw pine

Family

Pandanaceae

Similar genera

Nypa

Native distribution

Old world tropics; especially islands and coastlines of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans

Species cultivated

offered as pond plants and for ripariumsripariums:
(n) a type of aquarium that simulates wet habitats found along the edges of lakes, rivers, ponds and streams
and paludariums; varieties also cultivated

Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.

P. furcatus Roxb.

P. papuanus Solms

P. pygmaeus Thouars

P. tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi [also offered under the synonyms P. baptistii Misonne and P. pedunculatus R.Br.]

P. utilis Bory

Adventive distribution

Expanded distribution in the Old World tropics, with some introduced into North America and the Caribbean.

Pandanus tectorius and P. utilis are introduced into Puerto Rico.

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious amphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
to semi-aquatic trees or shrubs

Brief description

Large shrub to tree with palm-like foliage. Rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
, often with adventitiousadventitious:
(adj) of an organ growing where it is not normally expected, e.g., roots growing from a stem
prop roots; stem simple or branched, ringed with many leaf scars. Leaves spiraled or tristichoustristichous:
(adj) in three vertical rows
, often crowded at top of branches; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear, longitudinally folded; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
to acuminateacuminate:
(adj) tapering gradually to a point and forming more or less concave sides
; base sheathing; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
to spinose-serrate; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel. Male inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
terminal, a paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
with spike-like branches, each subtended by secondary bracts; flowers not individually distinguishable, perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
absent, fragrant. Female inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
terminal, of 1 or more globoseglobose:
(adj) spherical or nearly so
to cylindricalcylindrical:
(adj) forming a nearly true cylinder
heads, subtended to almost enclosed by bracts; flowers not individually distinguishable, perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
absent. Infructescence globoseglobose:
(adj) spherical or nearly so
to cylindricalcylindrical:
(adj) forming a nearly true cylinder
, of individual drupes, fleshy to hard, crowded, free to variously united into a polydrupe, green, maturing to bright orange or red; seeds 1 per drupedrupe:
(n) fleshy indehiscent fruit in which the seed or seeds are surrounded by a hardened endocarp (as in a cherry)
, minute; resembles the fruit of the pineapple.

Natural habitat

in poorly drained areas, wetlands and littorallittoral:
(adj) of or along the shore
habitats, along coastlines of creeks, rivers, marshes, billabongs and floodplains; some rheophyticrheophytic:
(adj) living or able to live in fast-moving water currents
in permanent water

Additional comments

Pandanus, comprising 750 species, are not true palms. Most species (notably P. tectorius) are some of the most important and useful trees in the Pacific, second only to coconut.