Well, for extra large corks! You can see where Pandanus spiralis gets its name from.


The spirals on the trunk are the bases of the old leaves that have fallen off. Most species of Pandanus grow like that but not many leave the old leaf stubs so prominently. Before the old leaves fall they they cling to the trunk in whats' called a "skirt".


Because the leaves are prickly on the margins, the skirts create a defensive shelter for many small animals. There are a good couple of hundred on my place. They look great but you have to be careful when working near them. The leaf margin prickles are really sharp and really cling when they catch you.

Wonderful! I have proposed your first picture for the Plant Database, and maybe you want to put the others in too?

Interesting looking pandanus. They don't develop the support roots like other types? I've had my skin sawed by my small ones enough to give those edges a healthy respect.

Zig - I wonder if those can be grown easily from seed? Sure would be cool to introduce them here.

Wow! They sure look tall and sharp looking Pandan...the only Pandan I know is the one we used in cooking for the yummy aroma it leaves on the food

I spotted what I think is one of these, Pandanus spiralis, at a nursery yesterday. It is a gorgeous specimen and I thought I remembered seeing one here so I went searching. I wonder what happened to Tropicbreeze, he had really interesting photos.

Anyway, thought I'd share a couple pics I took as the plant looks much different when it is small and groomed. If I had a focus point for an interesting plant this would be what I would buy.

It looks like Pandanus utilis to me but there are quite a few species that look alike. We have some amazing specimens at the Botanical Garden, they get very big. I wonder if they would stay small in a pot? Such a cool plant!!

I think you may be right, although this one has not branched it could do so when larger. I found some more info on it and since it is slow growing I think it would be fine indoors for many years.

Grow common screwpine in full to partial sun in any well-draining sand-based soil. They are very tolerant of poor soils as well as drought once established. Seaside conditions do not phase them, and they are particularly resistant to all but the most horrific of hurricane winds. When young the mass of foliage is dense, more resembling a shrub thicket.

Use common screwpine as a specimen plant in the tropical garden, or in a clustered grove to cast light shade below onto a patio or garden bed. Occasionally the browned leaves should be removed for aesthetic reasons, and the immature green fruits can be removed and used as decoration in a bowl. The male flowers can be intertwined to make a lei.

The hurricane info and the salt tolerance are especially interesting. I just wish I had a spot for it

Jonna, the quote you have in your post above may not be for that palm in Tropicbreeze's post. The common screwpine here is a branched tree that makes large (melon sized) green inedible fruits that look something like a pine cone.

On the other forum, it is listed as pandanus vandemeerschii, I think. Tropic's species is pandanus spiralis, aka screwpalm. Both are really neat plants, though.

Somewhere, way back in the winter I took a picture of a screw pine fruit and used it for a holiday greeting card. . .