Pandanus

Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. Plants vary in size from small shrubs less than 1 metre (3 ft) tall, up to medium-sized trees 20 metres (66 ft) tall, typically with a broad canopy and moderate growth rate. The trunk is stout, wide-branching, and ringed with many leaf scars. They commonly have many thick prop roots near the base, which provide support as the tree grows top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches. The leaves are strap-shaped, varying between species from 30 centimetres (12 in) up to 2 metres (7 ft) or more long, and from 1.5 centimetres (0.6 in) up to 10 centimetres (4 in) broad.

They are dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on different plants. The flowers of the male tree are 2-3 centimetres (1-1 in) long and fragrant, surrounded by narrow, white bracts. The female tree produces flowers with round fruits that are also bract-surrounded. The fruits are globose, 10-20 centimetres (4-8 in) in diameter, and have many prism-like sections, resembling the fruit of the pineapple. Typically, the fruit changes from green to bright orange or red as it matures. The fruit of some species are edible. Pandanus fruit are eaten by animals including bats, rats, crabs, elephants and monitor lizards, but the vast majority of species are dispersed primarily by water.

Selected species

P. odoratissimus is used for P. fascicularis or P. tectorius.

Cultivation and uses

Pandan is used for handicrafts. Craftswomen collect the pandan leaves from plants in the wild. Only the young leaves are cut so the plant will naturally regenerate. The young leaves are sliced in fine strips and sorted for further processing. Later, the weavers will produce basic pandan mats of standard size or roll the leaves into pandan ropes for other designs. This is followed by the coloring process, in which the pandan mats are placed in drums with water-based colors. After drying, the colored mats are shaped into the final product, for instance a place mat or a jewelry box. Final color touch-ups are applied to assure a product of high quality. The whole process from harvesting of raw materials to finished product is handled by craftswomen, making this a truly community-based handicraft product.

Pandan (P. amaryllifolius) leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking to add a distinct aroma to rice and curry dishes such as nasi lemak, kaya ('jam') preserves, and desserts such as pandan cake. Pandan leaf can be used as a complement to chocolate in many dishes, such as ice cream. They are known as daun pandan in Indonesian and Malay; and 斑蘭 (bān lán) in Mandarin. Fresh leaves are typically torn into strips, tied in a knot to facilitate removal, placed in the cooking liquid, then removed at the end of cooking. Dried leaves and bottled extract may be bought in some places.

"Kewra" is extract distilled from the Pandanus flower, used to flavor drinks and desserts in Indian cuisine.

Throughout Oceania almost every part of the plant is used, with various species different from those used in Southeast Asian cooking. Pandanus trees provide

materials for housing,
clothing and textiles including the manufacture of Dilly Bags (carrying bags), fine mats or ‘ie toga,
food,
medication,
decorations,
fishing,
religious uses

Vernacular names
Chamorro: åkgak (P. tectorius), påhong (P. dubius), kafo', paingut, akå'on
Chinese (Cantonese): Baan laahn, Chan heung laahn, Chat yihp laahn, Heung lahm tauh
Chinese (Mandarin): 班兰 (班蘭) [bān lán], Chen xiang lan, Qi ye lan, Xiang lin tou
Dhivehi (Maldivian): Kashi'keyo
Hawaiian: Hala
Hindi: Ambemohor pat, Rampe
Indonesian: Pandan
Japanese: Nioi-takonoki, Nioi-adan
Kapampangan: Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius), Pandan Lalaqui (Pandanus utilis )
Khmer: Taey
Laotian: Tey Ban, Tey hom
Malay: Pandan Wangi
Malayalam: Kaitha
Marshallese: Pob
Persian: کادی (Kādì)
Philippines: Pandan
Rarotongan: 'Ara, Inano
Sāmoan: Fala
Singhalese: Rampe
Tagalog: Pandan, Kalagimi (P. simplex), Alasas (P. radicans)
Tahitian: Fara, Hinano
Thai: ใบเตย, เตยหอม, เตย, Panae-wo-nging, Bai Toey, Toey-hom, Toey
Tongan: Fā (plus many more names for different varieties, leaves, flowers, etc.)
Vietnamese: Cây cơm nếp, Dứa thơm, Lá dứa, Cay com nep
Source [http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Pand_ama.html]

External links and references

[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?8790 Germplasm Resources Information Network: Pandanus]
[http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Pandanus.html Sorting Pandanus names]
Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., & Sohmer, S. H. (1990). Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai`i.
[http://www.peakoil.org.au/dave.kimble/rainforest/pandanus.htm Pandanus species of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia ] photos and text by Dave Kimble
[http://www.peakoil.org.au/dave.kimble/rainforest/pneumatophore.htm Pneumatophores on Pandanus solms-laubachii] - photo essay
[http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo717429.htm Northernmost pandanus in the world, in the Azores Islands, photo].
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Df1HYtTPv4 Pandanus simplex fruit eaten by Varanus olivaceus, Polillo Island, Philippines. ]

Translation

The word "Pandanus" occurs as such in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Dutch, Portuguese.

Translation(s) in other languages: Chamorro: Pahong, German: Schraubenbäume, Divehi: ކަށިކެޔޮ, Persian: کادی, Indonesian: Pandan, Georgian: პანდანუსი, Lithuanian: Pandanas, Polish: Pandan, Russian: Пандан (растение), Tamil: மூலிகைகள் பட்டியல், Telugu: మొగిలి.