Pandanus

Pandanus

Fruit of Pandanus utilis

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Pandanales
Family:	Pandanaceae
Genus:	Pandanus Parkinson

Species

See text.

Pandanus is a large genus of between 600-700 species of tree- or shrub-like flowering plants in the family Pandanaceae. The genus is native to the Old World tropics and western Pacific Ocean islands, with the largest number of species in Madagascar and Malesia (Wagner, Herbst, & Sohmer 1990). They are typically found in lower forested areas, savanahs, and along wetter shoreline regions. They are sometimes called screwpines because their long, flat leaves grow in a spiral pattern.

They vary in size from small shrubs less than 1 m tall, up to medium-sized trees 20 m tall, typically with a broad canopy and moderate growth rate. The trunk is stout, wide-branching, and ringed with many leaf scars. They commonly have many thick prop roots near the base, which provide support as the tree grows top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches. The leaves are strap-shaped, varying between species from 30 cm up to 2 m or more long, and from 1.5 cm up to 10 cm broad.

They are dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on different plants. The flowers of the male tree are 2-3 cm long and fragrant, surrounded by narrow, white bracts. The female tree produces flowers with round fruits that are also bract-surrounded. The fruits are globose, 10 to 20 cm in diameter, and have many prism-like sections, resembling the fruit of the pineapple. Typically, the fruit changes from green to bright orange or red as it matures.

Selected species

Pandanus affinis
Pandanus amaryllifolius
Pandanus atrocarpus
Pandanus austrosinensis
Pandanus baptistii
Pandanus boninensis
Pandanus butayei
Pandanus copelandii
Pandanus dubius
Pandanus fascicularis
Pandanus furcatus
Pandanus graminifolius
Pandanus gressitii
Pandanus humilis
Pandanus labyrinthicus
Pandanus leram
Pandanus linguiformis
Pandanus luzonensis
Pandanus nepalensis
Pandanus odoratissimus (Kewra flower)
Pandanus odoratus
Pandanus parvus
Pandanus polycephalus
Pandanus punicularis
Pandanus pygmaeus
Pandanus sanderi
Pandanus spiralis
Pandanus tectorius (Screwpine tree)
Pandanus utilis
Pandanus vandermeeschii
Pandanus veitchii

Cultivation and uses

Pandan ( P. amaryllifolius) leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking to add a distinct aroma to rice and curry dishes such as nasi lemak, kaya preserves, and desserts. They are known as daun pandan in Malay and 斑蘭 [bān lán] in Mandarin. Fresh leaves are typically torn into strips, tied in a knot to facilitate removal, placed in the cooking liquid, then removed at the end of cooking. Dried leaves and bottled extract may be bought in some places.

Ancient Hawaiians used almost every part of the plant, with various species; different from that used in Southeast Asian cooking. Pandanus trees provided materials for housing, clothing and textiles, food, medication, decorations, fishing, and religious uses.

Vernacular names

Chinese (Cantonese): Baan laahn, Chan heung laahn, Chat yihp laahn, Heung lahm tauh
Chinese (Mandarin): 斑蘭 [bān lán], Chen xiang lan, Qi ye lan, Xiang lin tou
Danish: Skruepalme
Dutch: Schroefpalm, Pandan
English: Pandanus, Screwpine, Umbrella tree, Screw tree
Estonian: Lõhnav pandan
Finnish: Kairapalmu
French: Pandanus
German: Schraubenbaum, Schraubenpalme
Hawaiian: Hala
Hebrew: הפאנדאנוס, Ha-pandanus (refers to entire genus)
Hindi: Ambemohor pat, Rampe
Hungarian: Pandanusz levél, Panpung levél, Csavarpálma levél
Indonesian: Pandan
Italian: Pandano
Japanese: Nioi-takonoki, Nioi-adan
Khmer: Taey
Korean: Pandanusu
Laotian: Tey Ban, Tey hom
Lithuanian: Amarilinis pandanas
Malay: Pandan Wangi
Portuguese: Pandano
Singhalese: Rampe
Spanish: Pandan, Pandano
Tagalog: Pandan, Pandan mabango
Thai: ใบเตย, เตยหอม, เตย, Panae-wo-nging, Bai Toey, Toey-hom, Toey
Vietnamese: Cây cơm nếp, Dứa thơm, Lá dứa, Cay com nep, Dua thom, La dua