What Is Pandanus?
The genus pandanus includes more than 600 known species of dioecious palm such as trees and shrubs. They are known as screw pines that produce edible green, yellow or red cone-shaped fruit and have large prop roots and long pleated leaves. Pandanus plants are native to the Pacific islands, northern Australia and regions of Southeast Asia such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and grow primarily in coastal forest areas. The primary uses of the pandanus include thatch roofing, construction material, weaving and food but the plants also have cultural, economic and medicinal import. This plant is known by many different names throughout its native region. The pandanus plant can grow in a wide variety of soil types and ranges between 13 and 46 feet (4 and 14 meters) tall with prop and aerial roots and thick trunks that fork in various directions. Each plant can produce between 10 to 300 leaves and eight to 12 fruits annually, depending on the species. It propagates easily f
