PlantsMap

EN PL

Thatch screwpine (Pandanus tectorius)
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Marshman~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 5 countries tree

Thatch screwpine

Pandanus tectorius

Family: Pandanaceae

On our map this plant appears in 5 countries and ranks highest in: Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Samoa.

The thatch screwpine is a small tree with a branched trunk propped up on slanting stilt roots and long, spirally arranged, spiny leaves. Its large fruit heads resemble a pineapple; when ripe they break up into orange, fibrous segments whose sweet base is sucked or cooked. Many varieties of pandanus are grown in Kiribati, propagated from branch cuttings. The leaves are the main material for weaving mats, baskets and thatch, and the trunks are used for building.

Description from: Kiribati.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Kiribati no. 2 of 5 native

    Cooked pandanus pulp is made into a dried paste, te tuae, which was the most important food reserve for droughts and long voyages. Weaving mats from pandanus leaves is still an important skill among I-Kiribati women.

  2. Maldives no. 2 of 5

    Kashikeyo is one of the traditional food plants of the Maldives – the ripe fruits are eaten raw and cooked, and the leaves were woven into mats, baskets and roofing.

  3. Marshall Islands no. 2 of 5 native

    Alongside the coconut and breadfruit, pandanus is a pillar of the traditional diet in the Marshall Islands, and the cooked and dried flesh can be stored for many months.

  4. Nauru no. 3 of 5 native

    Nauru is hit by long droughts, and in such times pandanus was one of the few reliable sources of food. Weaving its leaves is still a living craft tradition among Nauruan women.

  5. Samoa no. 4 of 5 native

    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…