Pandanus tectorius

Pandanus tectorius
File:Pandanus tectorius.jpg
Pandanus tectorius growing in the mountains of Oʻahu in Hawaii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Pandanales
Family:	Pandanaceae
Genus:	Pandanus
Species:	P. tectorius
Binomial name
Pandanus tectorius Parkinson
Synonyms
List Corypha laevis (Lour.) A.Chev. Pandanus absonus H.St.John Pandanus adscendens H.St.John Pandanus aequor H.St.John Pandanus aitutakiensis H.St.John Pandanus akiakiensis H.St.John Pandanus amplexus H.St.John Pandanus angulatus H.St.John Pandanus angulosus H.St.John Pandanus anisos H.St.John Pandanus aoraiensis H.St.John Pandanus apionops H.St.John Pandanus arapepe H.St.John Pandanus asauensis H.St.John Pandanus ater H.St.John Pandanus baptistii Misonne Pandanus bassus H.St.John Pandanus bathys H.St.John Pandanus bergmanii F.Br. Pandanus bicurvatus H.St.John Pandanus blakei H.St.John Pandanus boraboraensis H.St.John Pandanus bothreus H.St.John Pandanus bowenensis H.St.John Pandanus brachypodus Kaneh. Pandanus brownii H.St.John Pandanus cacuminatus H.St.John Pandanus carolinensis Martelli Pandanus chamissonis Gaudich. Pandanus charancanus Kaneh. Pandanus christophersenii H.St.John Pandanus citraceus H.St.John Pandanus collatus H.St.John Pandanus complanatus H.St.John Pandanus cooperi (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus coronatus Martelli Pandanus crassiaculeatus H.St.John Pandanus crassus H.St.John Pandanus cylindricus Kaneh. Pandanus cymatilis H.St.John Pandanus decorus K.Koch Pandanus dicheres H.St.John Pandanus dilatatus Kaneh. Pandanus discolor auct. Pandanus distinctus Martelli Pandanus divaricatus H.St.John Pandanus divergens Kaneh. Pandanus dotyi H.St.John Pandanus drakei H.St.John Pandanus drolletianus Martelli Pandanus duriocarpoides Kaneh. Pandanus duriocarpus Martelli Pandanus edwinii H.St.John Pandanus elevatus H.St.John Pandanus enchabiensis Kaneh. Pandanus erythrophloeus Kaneh. Pandanus extralittoralis H.St.John Pandanus eyesyes Kaneh. Pandanus fahina H.St.John Pandanus faramaa H.St.John Pandanus fatuhivaensis H.St.John Pandanus fatyanion (Kaneh.) Hosok. Pandanus feruliferus H.St.John Pandanus filiciatilis H.St.John Pandanus fischerianus Martelli Pandanus fragrans Gaudich. Pandanus futunaensis H.St.John Pandanus gambierensis H.St.John Pandanus glomerosus H.St.John Pandanus grantii H.St.John Pandanus guamensis Martelli Pandanus haapaiensis H.St.John Pandanus heronensis H.St.John Pandanus hivaoaensis H.St.John Pandanus horneinsularum H.St.John Pandanus hosinoi Kaneh. Pandanus hosokawae Kaneh. Pandanus houmaensis H.St.John Pandanus hubbardii H.St.John Pandanus inarmatus H.St.John Pandanus inermis Roxb. Pandanus inflexus H.St.John Pandanus infundibuliformis H.St.John Pandanus insularis Kaneh. Pandanus intralaevis H.St.John Pandanus jaluitensis Kaneh. Pandanus jonesii (F.Br.) H.St.John Pandanus kafu Martelli Pandanus kamptos H.St.John Pandanus koidzumii Hosok. Pandanus korrensis Kaneh. Pandanus kraussii H.St.John Pandanus kusaiensis Kaneh. Pandanus laculatus H.St.John Pandanus laevis Kunth nom. illeg. Pandanus laevis Lour. Pandanus lakatwa Kaneh. Pandanus lambasaensis H.St.John Pandanus laticanaliculatus Kaneh. Pandanus lauensis H.St.John Pandanus licinus H.St.John Pandanus limitaris H.St.John Pandanus longifolius H.L.Wendl. nom. inval. Pandanus macfarlanei Martelli Pandanus macrocephalus Kaneh. Pandanus makateaensis H.St.John Pandanus malatensis Blanco Pandanus mangarevaensis H.St.John Pandanus mariaensis H.St.John Pandanus marquesasensis H.St.John Pandanus matukuensis H.St.John Pandanus mbalawa H.St.John Pandanus meetiaensis H.St.John Pandanus mei F.Br. Pandanus mendanensis Martelli Pandanus menne Kaneh. Pandanus menziesii Gaudich. Pandanus metius H.St.John Pandanus minysocephalus H.St.John Pandanus mooreaensis H.St.John Pandanus moschatus Miq. nom. illeg. Pandanus moschatus Rumph. ex Voigt Pandanus motuensis H.St.John Pandanus nandiensis H.St.John Pandanus notialis H.St.John Pandanus oblatiapicalis H.St.John Pandanus oblaticonvexus H.St.John Pandanus obliquus Kaneh. Pandanus odontoides Hosok. Pandanus okamotoi Kaneh. Pandanus onoilauensis H.St.John Pandanus orarius H.St.John Pandanus otemanuensis H.St.John Pandanus ovalauensis H.St.John Pandanus pachys H.St.John Pandanus palkilensis Hosok. Pandanus palmyraensis H.St.John Pandanus pansus H.St.John Pandanus paogo H.St.John Pandanus papeariensis Martelli Pandanus papenooensis H.St.John Pandanus parhamii H.St.John Pandanus parksii H.St.John Pandanus patulior H.St.John Pandanus pedunculatus R.Br. Pandanus planus H.St.John Pandanus politus Martelli Pandanus ponapensis Martelli Pandanus prismaticus Martelli Pandanus prolixus H.St.John Pandanus pseudomenne Hosok. Pandanus pulposus (Warb.) Martelli Pandanus pusillus H.St.John Pandanus pyriformis (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus radiatus H.St.John Pandanus raiateaensis H.St.John Pandanus raivavaensis Martelli Pandanus raroiaensis H.St.John Pandanus rectangulatus Kaneh. Pandanus repens Miq. Pandanus rhizophorensis H.St.John Pandanus rhombocarpus Kaneh. Pandanus rikiteaensis H.St.John Pandanus rimataraensis H.St.John Pandanus rockii Martelli Pandanus rotensis Hosok. Pandanus rotundatus Kaneh. Pandanus rurutuensis H.St.John Pandanus sabotan Blanco Pandanus saipanensis Kaneh. Pandanus saltuarius H.St.John Pandanus samak Hassk. Pandanus sanderi Sander Pandanus savaiensis (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus seruaensis H.St.John Pandanus sinuosus H.St.John Pandanus sinuvadosus H.St.John Pandanus smithii H.St.John Pandanus spurius (Willd.) Miq. Pandanus stradbrookeensis H.St.John Pandanus subaequalis H.St.John Pandanus subhumerosus H.St.John Pandanus subradiatus H.St.John Pandanus suvaensis (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus taepa (F.Br.) H.St.John Pandanus tahaaensis H.St.John Pandanus tahitensis Martelli Pandanus takaroaensis H.St.John Pandanus tamaruensis J.W.Moore Pandanus tapeinos H.St.John Pandanus taravaiensis H.St.John Pandanus temehaniensis J.W.Moore Pandanus terrireginae H.St.John Pandanus tessellatus Martelli Pandanus tikeiensis H.St.John Pandanus tima H.St.John Pandanus timoeensis H.St.John Pandanus tolotomensis Glassman Pandanus tomilensis Kaneh. Pandanus tongaensis H.St.John Pandanus trapaneus H.St.John Pandanus tritosphaericus H.St.John Pandanus trukensis Kaneh. Pandanus tubuaiensis Martelli Pandanus tupaiensis H.St.John Pandanus uea H.St.John Pandanus utiyamae Kaneh. Pandanus vahitahiensis H.St.John Pandanus vandra H.St.John Pandanus vangeertii auct. Pandanus variegatus Miq. Pandanus veitchii Mast. Pandanus virginalis H.St.John Pandanus viri H.St.John Pandanus viridinsularis H.St.John Pandanus volkensii Kaneh. Pandanus yorkensis H.St.John Pandanus yunckeri H.St.John

Pandanus tectorius is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Common names include Tahitian screwpine, thatch screwpine, hala (Hawaiian), fala (Samoan), bacua (Spanish), vacquois (French), kaithai (கைதை) or thaazhai (தாழை) (Tamil) and mudu keyiya (Sinhala).

Description

Pandanus tectorius fruit showing phalanges.

P. tectorius is a tree that grows to 4–14 m (13–46 ft) tall. The single trunk is spiny and forks at a height of 4–8 metres (13–26 ft). It is supported by prop roots that firmly anchor the tree to the ground. Its leaves are usually 90–150 cm (3.0–4.9 ft) long and 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) wide with saw-like margins.

Flowers

Pandanus tectorius is dioecious, with very different male and female flowers. Male flowers are small, fragrant, form clusters or racemes, and short lived, lasting only a single day. Female flowers resemble pineapples.

Fruit

The fruit of P. tectorius is either ovoid, ellipsoid, subglobose or globose with a diameter of 4–20 cm (1.6–7.9 in) and a length of 8–30 cm (3.1–11.8 in). The fruit is made up of 38–200 wedge-like phalanges, which have an outer fibrous husk. Phalanges contain two seeds on average, with a maximum of eight reported. The phalanges are buoyant, and the seeds within them can remain viable for many months while being transported by ocean currents.

Habitat

Pandanus tectorius naturally grows in coastal regions, such as on mangrove margins and beaches, at elevations from sea level to 610 m (2,000 ft). It requires 1,500–4,000 mm (59–157 in) of annual rainfall. Thatch Screwpine is well adapted to grow in the many soil types present on coasts, including quartz sand, coral sand, and peat, as well as in limestone and basalt. P. tectorius is salt and wind tolerant and favors slightly acidic to basic soil (pH of 6-10). It prefers to grow in full sunlight, but grows well with 30-50% shade.

Range

Pandanus tectorius occurs from Port Macquarie in New South Wales to northern Queensland, Australia and Indonesia east through the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Its exact native range is unknown due to extensive cultivation; it may be an early Polynesian introduction to many of the more isolated Pacific islands on which it occurs. P. tectorius is known to have predated human settlement on Hawaii due to seed and pollen samples taken from Kauaʻi's Makauwahi Cave.

Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is a major source of food in Micronesia, especially in the atolls. It is also one of the traditional foods of Maldivian cuisine. The fibrous nature of the fruit also serves as a natural dental floss. It is also used in Samoan culture as a Ula Fala, a necklace made out of the dried fruit painted in red and is worn by the Matai during special occasions and functions.

The tree's leaves are often used as flavoring for sweet dishes such as kaya jam, and are also said to have medicinal properties. It is also used in Sri Lankan cookery, where the leaves are used to flavor a variety of curries. Leaves were used by the Polynesians to make baskets, mats, outrigger canoe sails, thatch roofs, and grass skirts.

A large shrub or small tree of immense cultural, health, and economic importance in the Pacific, it is second only to coconut on atolls. It grows wild mainly in semi-natural vegetation in littoral habitats throughout the tropical and subtropical Pacific, where it can withstand drought, strong winds, and salt spray. It propagates readily from seed, but it is also widely propagated from branch cuttings by local people for farms and home gardens. It grows fairly quickly, and all parts are used, from the nutritious fruits of edible varieties to the poles and branches in construction to the leaves for weaving and garlands. The plant is prominent in Pacific culture and tradition, including local medicine.

Hundreds of cultivated varieties are known by their local names and characteristics of fruits, branches, and leaves. At present, there is evidence that this diversity is declining, with certain varieties becoming difficult to find. The reasons include less replanting, deforestation, fire, flagging interest by the new generation, and rapid population growth leading to urbanization.

Culture

The seal of Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii features the hala tree, in part because lauhala, the art of weaving with the leaves of that tree, is pivotal to the history of the island, with everything from houses to pillows being made in this fashion. Local legend tells of an aged Hawaiian couple who lived long ago above the present Punahou campus, and had to travel far for water. They prayed each night for a spring, but to no avail. Finally one night, in a dream answering their prayers, they were told to uproot the stump of an old hala tree. They did as they were told and found a spring of clear, sweet water, which they named Ka Punahou, the New Spring. According to legend, Punahou School's lily pond is fed by this same spring.

Ecology

The stick insect Megacrania batesii lives and feeds only on this species.

External links

• Pandanus tectorius from Foster Garden, Honolulu, Oahu Island, Hawai'i World plants, visual gallery University of Murcia. Spain
• NSW Department of Environment & Climate Change [1]
• Australian Native Plants - John W. Wrigley & Murray Fagg ISBN 1-876334-90-8
• Christenhusz, M.J.M. (2009). Typification of ornamental plants: Pandanus tectorius (Pandanaceae). Phytotaxa 2: 51-52.
• The World's Best Photos of puhala, Flickr Hive Mind, flickrhivemind.net, related pictures, also the fruits partially dismantled