Pandanus utilis
| Pandanus utilis | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Pandanales |
| Family: | Pandanaceae |
| Genus: | Pandanus |
| Species: | P. utilis |
| Binomial name | |
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Pandanus utilis Bory |
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| Synonyms | |
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Pandanus utilis, the common screwpine is, despite its name, a monocot and not a pine. It is native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.
The trunk features aerial prop roots. The leaves are linear and spiny, with a spiral arrangement on the tree. The leaves are also dried out and rolled, and used to make mats in Kerala, India; and Hawaii. Care must be taken when handling the leaves because of their sharp spines.
The fruit of Pandanus utilis is edible, although not flavorful to humans and must be cooked prior to consumption. It attracts mammals such as, in North America, squirrels.
Within the family Pandanaceae, the genus Pandanus is thought to compose the largest group of plants. It is estimated that there are somewhere between 500 and 1,000 species within this genus. Pandanus utilis (pan-DAY-nus YOO-tih-liss), otherwise known as the common screwpine, is one such plant within this family. The origin of P. utilis has traditionally been thought to be Madagascar, but more recently the Mascarene Islands have been suggested as a possible place of origin. A long history of cultivation and transport to many parts of the world makes the origin difficult to trace. However, it is known to be grown in Senegal, Benin, Tanzania, Madagascar, Réunion, Maldives and Mauritius.P. utilis has been introduced to many tropical and subtropical regions, including Central America, the Caribbean, the United States (southern Florida, Puerto Rico), Brazil, India, and Indonesia.
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Wikipedia