Pandanus odorifer
| Fragrant screw pine (Pandanus odorifer) | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pandanus odorifer |
| Genus | Pandanus |
| Family | Pandanaceae |
| Order | Pandanales |
| Native range | Aldabra and tropical and subtropical Asia[1] |
| Habitat | Coastal freshwater swamps, sandy shores, mangrove margins, and brackish or slow-flowing waters[2][3] |
| Habit | Small tree or shrub to about 9 m, with aerial prop or stilt roots[4] |
| Fruit | Pineapple-shaped syncarp of many drupes; individual drupes ripen from green toward yellow, orange-red, or red-orange[2][3] |
Pandanus odorifer, called fragrant screw pine, kewda, screw pine, or padang, is an accepted coastal pandan native to Aldabra and tropical and subtropical Asia.[1] It forms a small tree or shrub with spiny leaves, aerial prop roots, separate male and female flowers, and a large compound fruit.[2][3]
Description[edit | edit source]
The species is associated with freshwater coastal swamps, sandy coasts, mangrove margins, and brackish or slow-flowing water. It develops aerial prop or stilt roots and long, spiny leaves. Plants are dioecious: male and female flowers occur on separate plants.[2][3]
The fruit is a pineapple-shaped syncarp made of many wedge-like drupes. NParks gives individual drupes as about 40–50 mm long and 25–35 mm wide, changing from green to yellow and orange-red as they mature.[5] A Flora Zambesiaca record accessed through Plants of the World Online describes the aggregate syncarp as globose or ellipsoid, about 15–20 cm long and 12–18 cm across, sometimes larger, and ripening red-orange.[6] These are measurements of different fruit structures and records, not a single fixed size standard.
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
Native settings include sandy coastal ground, freshwater coastal swamps, mangrove-associated margins, and brackish or slow-flowing water.[2][3] Use a freely draining medium with organic matter and steady but moderate moisture; avoid treating tolerance of coastal salt spray as permission for stagnant, saline irrigation. NParks lists well-drained soil, moderate water, and salt or salt-spray tolerance, while the cultivation account emphasizes drainage in sandy or wetland-associated sites.[3][4]
A controlled study tested three-month-old seedlings with 1 M sodium chloride for three weeks and reported wilting above that concentration alongside molecular and metabolite responses.[7] This is a seedling experiment, not an adult field salinity threshold or a prescription for salty irrigation.
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
The species grows in open coastal and wetland settings and is listed for full sun or partial shade in cultivation.[2][3] Give a young plant strong light with protection from abrupt exposure, and provide airflow around foliage while keeping the root zone from prolonged drying. The full-sun and partial-shade range reflects the documented cultivation guidance rather than a measured species-specific light threshold.
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
Its native range is wet tropical to subtropical, with growth associated with coastal wetlands and freshwater or brackish water. In cultivation, keep moisture more even during hot, actively growing weather and rely on drainage rather than allowing the root zone to remain waterlogged. Reduce irrigation only when cooler or less active conditions make the medium dry more slowly; no fixed seasonal schedule or dormancy requirement is established here.[2][3]
The syncarp changes from green toward yellow, orange-red, or red-orange as it matures.[5][6] Use that colour change with firmness and local plant observation when judging harvest readiness rather than applying a calendar date across climates.
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Seed is a documented propagation route. The species account recommends soaking seed for about 24 hours before sowing and also lists lateral-shoot cuttings and suckers as vegetative methods.[3] The pre-soak interval and vegetative methods are practical secondary guidance rather than results from a replicated species propagation trial, so keep batches labeled by source plant and do not treat one germination result as a fixed rate.
Because plants are male or female, seed-grown plants cannot be assumed to provide both sexes. Retaining a known-sex lateral shoot or sucker is useful when a grower is assembling plants for fruit and seed production, but the sex of a particular propagule still needs to be established from the source plant or later flowering.
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. A cultivation account gives flowering at about three to four years and recommends growing both sexes when fruit and seed are wanted; this is a qualified source-specific age rather than a universal bearing schedule.[8] The packet does not establish a particular pollinator, pollination distance, or yield expectation.
Harvest interest is centered on the compound syncarp and its individual drupes. Mature colour is reported as yellow, orange-red, or red-orange depending on the record and fruit structure described.[5][6] Handle the spiny plant and fruiting structures carefully, and record the colour and condition of each plant because maturity can vary with site and plant sex.
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
The fragrant male inflorescences are used in perfumery, and leaf materials and tender leaf bases also have documented uses.[2][3] A comparative 2024 study analyzed fruits and seeds from several Pandanus species and reported relatively high crude fibre in P. odorifer pulp and higher iron among some comparison samples, but its accessible abstract does not establish food safety or health effects.[9]
Food-use descriptions for this species place edible pulp and seeds in genus-level context rather than establishing a species-specific safety recommendation.[4] The fruit should therefore not be treated as an automatically safe food on the basis of the genus account or composition measurements alone.