Thatch screwpine

Finely cut pandanus leaves are woven into ’ie toga – delicate mats that are the most precious gift in Samoan ceremonies.

The thatch screwpine is a small tree with a branched trunk supported on slanting prop roots and long, spirally arranged leaves with spiny edges. Its fruit heads resemble pineapples and break up into orange, fibrous segments whose bases are edible. Once dried and processed, the leaves are used to weave mats, baskets and thatch. The species tolerates salt and wind well, so it grows along coasts throughout the Pacific.

Significance in the country

The most precious Samoan ’ie toga mats are woven from a special variety of pandanus, lau’ie, cut into strips less than a millimetre wide, and work on a single mat can take months. ’Ie toga are presented at weddings, funerals and the bestowal of matai titles, and their exchange expresses the status of families.

Where it grows

On the coasts and around villages throughout the country; the varieties used for mat weaving are planted in gardens beside houses.

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