Skip to main content

Thatch screwpine (Pandanus tectorius)

Pandan duri or pandan tikar or thatch screwpine (Pandanus tectorius) are species of tree-like plants in Pandanaceae, dioesis, are highly variable in shape and character, have many varieties and some are cultivated for different purposes.

P. tectorius is a wide-branched shrub, 3-7 m high and sometimes has many trunks. Roots and hanging roots have a large size and striking. Ribbon-shaped leaves, 70-250x3-9 cm, stiff, bluish green and waxy, parallel with bones, spines on the edges and underside of the leaf bone.

Dlium Thatch screwpine (Pandanus tectorius) #Dlium @Dlium

The leaves gather tightly at the end of a branch in 3 rows arranged in a spiral with the base hugging the stem to leave a ring-shaped mark. Hanging male flowers, 25-60 cm long, 10-20 side branches, veiled in a white-yellow sheath that smells good. The female flowers are aloof, rounded hump shaped and 5 cm in diameter.

Compound fruit has many variations for shape, size and color. Shapes ranging from ovoid, ellipsoid, almost round and full ball. Length 8-30x4-20 cm on the center line. Phalanges are ovoid inverted to oblong, 2.5-11x1.5-6.7 cm and the skin is green, yellow, orange and red when ripe.

Mesocarp is white, fiber and filled with air at the tip, yellow to orange or red-orange at the base. Ovoid seeds, pushing or oval and 6-20 millimeters long. Often grow in sandy and rocky areas at an altitude of 0-610 m, rainfall 1500-4000 mm/year, adapt in various of soil including quartz sand, coral sand, peat, limestone and basalt.

Pandan duri is tolerant of high salt content and continuous gusts of wind, like the soil with a pH of 6-10. It grows very well in full sun, but can also grow well with a shade of 30-50%.







Different varieties produce different benefits. Generally P. tectorius is cultivated for soft and strong leaves to be woven, others for male flowers that smell nice to scent the room, clothes or perfume. Another variety for delicious fruit.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Pandanales
Family: Pandanaceae
Genus: Pandanus
Species: Pandanus tectorius
Varieties: Pandanus tectorius var. tectorius

Popular Posts

Sea almond (Terminalia catappa)

Ketapang or tropical almond or beach almond or talisay tree or umbrella tree or sea almond ( Terminalia catappa ) is a species of plant in the Combretaceae, a shady tree, fast growing, forming a multilevel canopy, often used as a shade tree in gardens and on roadsides. T. catappa grows large, up to 40 meters in height and up to 1.5 meters in trunk, shady canopy with branches that grow flat and terraced, young trees often look like pagodas while old and large trees often have aerial roots up to 3 meters. The leaves are scattered, mostly at the end of the twig, rounded egg upside down, 8-38 cm long, 5-19 cm wide, the tip is wide, the base is narrow, the upper surface is smooth, green but turns red if to fall out and short stalks. The flowers are small, collected near the tips of the twigs, 8-25 cm long and green-yellow in color. The flowers are not crowned, the petals have five taju, are plate or bell shaped, 4-8 mm long and are white or cream in color. Stamens in two circles and arra...

Asian foxtail (Uraria crinita)

Asian foxtail or cat's tail bean ( Uraria crinita ) is a species of plant in Fabaceae, a perennial, upright shrub with woody stems at least at the base, up to 2 meters high in forests, agricultural land, waterways, used as a medicinal herb, green manure and sometimes planted in the garden as an ornamental plant. U. crinita has elongated leaves, rounded base, pointed tip, a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, rough surface, dark green with white spots. Petiole short or less than 0.5 cm and brownish red. Compound flower in spike shape, purple and white triangular crown. Long flower stalk, erect, 15-20 cm long and only at the end of the flower. The crown slowly falls off and leaves behind a stalk that is shaped like coir or light yellow pads. Asian foxtail grows in dry grasslands, open forests, trash cans, roadsides, sandy areas and sometimes in deciduous forests, elevations of 0-1500 meters and does not grow in waterlogged places. The different parts are often used in t...

Kunu buti (Mesosphaerum suaveolens)

Kunu buti ( Mesosphaerum suaveolens ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect, herbaceous annual, growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Its cylindrical, rough, brown or green stem is hairy and white. It grows on forest floors, bushes, agricultural fields, and roadsides. Its roots are fibrous and brownish-yellow. M. suaveolens has single, opposite leaves, stalks 2-5 cm long and hairy. The leaf blades are green, hairy, oval, with pointed tips, blunt bases, serrated edges, up to 6 cm long, up to 5 cm wide, and pinnate veins. The flowers are compound, axillary, in clusters, perfect, and bisexual. The petals are attached, forming a tube, each tip elongated like a spine, soft, 3-10 mm long, and green. The corolla is attached, asymmetrically detached, 1-2 cm long, and purple. The fruit is single, hard, capsule-shaped, hairy on the surface, and green or brown in color. The seeds are round, small and blackish brown in color. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphyl...