Pandanus tectorius

Pandanus tectorius
Pandanus tectorius growing in the mountains of Oʻahu in Hawaii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Pandanales
Family:	Pandanaceae
Genus:	Pandanus
Species:	P. tectorius
Binomial name
Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi
Synonyms
List Corypha laevis (Lour.) A.Chev. Pandanus absonus H.St.John Pandanus adscendens H.St.John Pandanus aequor H.St.John Pandanus aitutakiensis H.St.John Pandanus akiakiensis H.St.John Pandanus amplexus H.St.John Pandanus angulatus H.St.John Pandanus angulosus H.St.John Pandanus anisos H.St.John Pandanus aoraiensis H.St.John Pandanus apionops H.St.John Pandanus arapepe H.St.John Pandanus asauensis H.St.John Pandanus ater H.St.John Pandanus baptistii Misonne Pandanus bassus H.St.John Pandanus bathys H.St.John Pandanus bergmanii F.Br. Pandanus bicurvatus H.St.John Pandanus blakei H.St.John Pandanus boraboraensis H.St.John Pandanus bothreus H.St.John Pandanus bowenensis H.St.John Pandanus brachypodus Kaneh. Pandanus brownii H.St.John Pandanus cacuminatus H.St.John Pandanus carolinensis Martelli Pandanus chamissonis Gaudich. Pandanus charancanus Kaneh. Pandanus christophersenii H.St.John Pandanus citraceus H.St.John Pandanus collatus H.St.John Pandanus complanatus H.St.John Pandanus cooperi (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus coronatus Martelli Pandanus crassiaculeatus H.St.John Pandanus crassus H.St.John Pandanus cylindricus Kaneh. Pandanus cymatilis H.St.John Pandanus decorus K.Koch Pandanus dicheres H.St.John Pandanus dilatatus Kaneh. Pandanus discolor auct. Pandanus distinctus Martelli Pandanus divaricatus H.St.John Pandanus divergens Kaneh. Pandanus dotyi H.St.John Pandanus drakei H.St.John Pandanus drolletianus Martelli Pandanus duriocarpoides Kaneh. Pandanus duriocarpus Martelli Pandanus edwinii H.St.John Pandanus elevatus H.St.John Pandanus enchabiensis Kaneh. Pandanus erythrophloeus Kaneh. Pandanus extralittoralis H.St.John Pandanus eyesyes Kaneh. Pandanus fahina H.St.John Pandanus faramaa H.St.John Pandanus fatuhivaensis H.St.John Pandanus fatyanion (Kaneh.) Hosok. Pandanus feruliferus H.St.John Pandanus filiciatilis H.St.John Pandanus fischerianus Martelli Pandanus fragrans Gaudich. Pandanus futunaensis H.St.John Pandanus gambierensis H.St.John Pandanus glomerosus H.St.John Pandanus grantii H.St.John Pandanus guamensis Martelli Pandanus haapaiensis H.St.John Pandanus heronensis H.St.John Pandanus hivaoaensis H.St.John Pandanus horneinsularum H.St.John Pandanus hosinoi Kaneh. Pandanus hosokawae Kaneh. Pandanus houmaensis H.St.John Pandanus hubbardii H.St.John Pandanus inarmatus H.St.John Pandanus inermis Roxb. Pandanus inflexus H.St.John Pandanus infundibuliformis H.St.John Pandanus insularis Kaneh. Pandanus intralaevis H.St.John Pandanus jaluitensis Kaneh. Pandanus jonesii (F.Br.) H.St.John Pandanus kafu Martelli Pandanus kamptos H.St.John Pandanus koidzumii Hosok. Pandanus korrensis Kaneh. Pandanus kraussii H.St.John Pandanus kusaiensis Kaneh. Pandanus laculatus H.St.John Pandanus laevis Kunth nom. illeg. Pandanus laevis Lour. Pandanus lakatwa Kaneh. Pandanus lambasaensis H.St.John Pandanus laticanaliculatus Kaneh. Pandanus lauensis H.St.John Pandanus licinus H.St.John Pandanus limitaris H.St.John Pandanus longifolius H.L.Wendl. nom. inval. Pandanus macfarlanei Martelli Pandanus macrocephalus Kaneh. Pandanus makateaensis H.St.John Pandanus malatensis Blanco Pandanus mangarevaensis H.St.John Pandanus mariaensis H.St.John Pandanus marquesasensis H.St.John Pandanus matukuensis H.St.John Pandanus mbalawa H.St.John Pandanus meetiaensis H.St.John Pandanus mei F.Br. Pandanus mendanensis Martelli Pandanus menne Kaneh. Pandanus menziesii Gaudich. Pandanus metius H.St.John Pandanus minysocephalus H.St.John Pandanus mooreaensis H.St.John Pandanus moschatus Miq. nom. illeg. Pandanus moschatus Rumph. ex Voigt Pandanus motuensis H.St.John Pandanus nandiensis H.St.John Pandanus notialis H.St.John Pandanus oblatiapicalis H.St.John Pandanus oblaticonvexus H.St.John Pandanus obliquus Kaneh. Pandanus odontoides Hosok. Pandanus okamotoi Kaneh. Pandanus onoilauensis H.St.John Pandanus orarius H.St.John Pandanus otemanuensis H.St.John Pandanus ovalauensis H.St.John Pandanus pachys H.St.John Pandanus palkilensis Hosok. Pandanus palmyraensis H.St.John Pandanus pansus H.St.John Pandanus paogo H.St.John Pandanus papeariensis Martelli Pandanus papenooensis H.St.John Pandanus parhamii H.St.John Pandanus parksii H.St.John Pandanus patulior H.St.John Pandanus pedunculatus R.Br. Pandanus planus H.St.John Pandanus politus Martelli Pandanus ponapensis Martelli Pandanus prismaticus Martelli Pandanus prolixus H.St.John Pandanus pseudomenne Hosok. Pandanus pulposus (Warb.) Martelli Pandanus pusillus H.St.John Pandanus pyriformis (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus radiatus H.St.John Pandanus raiateaensis H.St.John Pandanus raivavaensis Martelli Pandanus raroiaensis H.St.John Pandanus rectangulatus Kaneh. Pandanus repens Miq. Pandanus rhizophorensis H.St.John Pandanus rhombocarpus Kaneh. Pandanus rikiteaensis H.St.John Pandanus rimataraensis H.St.John Pandanus rockii Martelli Pandanus rotensis Hosok. Pandanus rotundatus Kaneh. Pandanus rurutuensis H.St.John Pandanus sabotan Blanco Pandanus saipanensis Kaneh. Pandanus saltuarius H.St.John Pandanus samak Hassk. Pandanus sanderi Sander Pandanus savaiensis (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus seruaensis H.St.John Pandanus sinuosus H.St.John Pandanus sinuvadosus H.St.John Pandanus smithii H.St.John Pandanus spurius (Willd.) Miq. Pandanus stradbrookeensis H.St.John Pandanus subaequalis H.St.John Pandanus subhumerosus H.St.John Pandanus subradiatus H.St.John Pandanus suvaensis (Martelli) H.St.John Pandanus taepa (F.Br.) H.St.John Pandanus tahaaensis H.St.John Pandanus tahitensis Martelli Pandanus takaroaensis H.St.John Pandanus tamaruensis J.W.Moore Pandanus tapeinos H.St.John Pandanus taravaiensis H.St.John Pandanus temehaniensis J.W.Moore Pandanus terrireginae H.St.John Pandanus tessellatus Martelli Pandanus tikeiensis H.St.John Pandanus tima H.St.John Pandanus timoeensis H.St.John Pandanus tolotomensis Glassman Pandanus tomilensis Kaneh. Pandanus tongaensis H.St.John Pandanus trapaneus H.St.John Pandanus tritosphaericus H.St.John Pandanus trukensis Kaneh. Pandanus tubuaiensis Martelli Pandanus tupaiensis H.St.John Pandanus uea H.St.John Pandanus utiyamae Kaneh. Pandanus vahitahiensis H.St.John Pandanus vandra H.St.John Pandanus vangeertii auct. Pandanus variegatus Miq. Pandanus veitchii Mast. Pandanus virginalis H.St.John Pandanus viri H.St.John Pandanus viridinsularis H.St.John Pandanus volkensii Kaneh. Pandanus yorkensis H.St.John Pandanus yunckeri H.St.John

Pandanus tectorius is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Common names in English include Tahitian screwpine,thatch screwpine., and Hala tree; the fruit is sometimes known as Hala fruit.

P. tectorius is a tree that grows to 4–14 m (13–46 ft) tall. The single trunk is spiny and forks at a height of 4–8 metres (13–26 ft). It is supported by prop roots that firmly anchor the tree to the ground. Its leaves are usually 90–150 cm (3.0–4.9 ft) long and 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) wide with saw-like margins.

Pandanus tectorius is dioecious, with very different male and female flowers. Male flowers are small, fragrant, form clusters or racemes, and short lived, lasting only a single day. Female flowers resemble pineapples.

The fruit of P. tectorius is either ovoid, ellipsoid, subglobose or globose with a diameter of 4–20 cm (1.6–7.9 in) and a length of 8–30 cm (3.1–11.8 in). The fruit is made up of 38–200 wedge-like phalanges, which have an outer fibrous husk. Phalanges contain two seeds on average, with a maximum of eight reported. The phalanges are buoyant, and the seeds within them can remain viable for many months while being transported by ocean currents.

Pandanus tectorius naturally grows in coastal regions, such as on mangrove margins and beaches, at elevations from sea level to 610 m (2,000 ft). It requires 1,500–4,000 mm (59–157 in) of annual rainfall. Thatch Screwpine is well adapted to grow in the many soil types present on coasts, including quartz sand, coral sand, and peat, as well as in limestone and basalt. P. tectorius is salt and wind tolerant and favors slightly acidic to basic soil (pH of 6-10). It prefers to grow in full sunlight, but grows well with 30-50% shade.

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Wikipedia