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Pandanus tectorius
Pandanaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Pandanus tectorius

Pandanus tectorius

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The seeds can contain calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth. These can be removed by cooking and straining the seeds[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthMedium

Pandanus tectorius is a plant of lowland humid and subhumid tropical climates, rarely found above an elevation of 20 metres in the wild but cultivated at elevations up to 600 metres[2, 3]. It is found in areas where the mean annual temperature ranges from 24 - 28°c, the mean temperature of the hottest month is 28 - 36°c and that of the coldest month is 17 - 25°c[2]. The minimum temperature experienced in its native range iss 12°c[2], though one report says that it can tolerate occasional temperatures down to almost freezing[4]. Mean annual rainfall varies from 1,500 - 4,000mm, with no dry season or a short dry season of 2 - 3 months[2]. Succeeds in sun or partial shade, preferring a moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position[5, 6]. It is adapted to an extraordinarily wide range of light to heavy­textured soil types, including brackish/saline soils, light­coloured, infertile coralline atoll sands, alkaline sands, thin soils over limestone, and peaty swamps[2]. Grows well in sandy soils[3]. Does well in poor or highly alkaline soils[4]. Tolerant of a pH range from 6 - 10[2]. Plants are very tolerant of maritime exposure, including buffeting from moderate to severe tropical cyclones[2]. Established plants can tolerate droughts of 3 - 6 months and will continue to fruit, and are also tolerant of extended periods of soil waterlogging[2]. Plants grown from seed can take 20 years to reach sexual maturity. For their first 4 - 9 years they have a juvenile, semi-prostrate phase, then comes 5 - 12 years of erect trunk growth before flowering commences. Plants can remain productive for another 40 - 60 years or more[2]. Plants grown from cuttings can commence fruiting in 4 to 6 years. Fruiting can continue for another 20 - 25 years[2, 7]. Fruits take about 12 months to mature after fertilization[2]. Branches do not have dormant buds and so will not resprout if cut back into the old wood[8]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruits and seed are required.

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours[9]. To speed germination, soak the drupes in cool tap water for 5 days, changing the water every day[7]. Viable drupes will float, so do not discard them[7]. Alternatively, remove the fleshy part of the drupe, laying it on the planting medium, and burying it half way[7]. Keep the potting mix moist. Germination takes about 2 months[7]. Suckers during the growing season. Cuttings of lateral shoots. Plants can be propagated from large cuttings[7]. Stems with aerial or prop roots are selected; about 2/3 of the leaves are trimmed off to reduce water loss; and the stems rooted in a sandy soil[7]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pandanus+tectorius>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Food Plants of Papua New Guinea — French. B.R. · Author. · 2006 ↩︎Published on-line in PDF format, this book contains information on several hundred New Guinea food plants.
  2. [2]Traditional Trees of Pacific Islands — Elevitch. Craig. R. (Editor) · Permanent Agriculture Resources, Hawaii · 2006 · ISBN 0970254458 ↩︎Beautifully produced book with superb photos and detailed information on over 50 species of useful plants of the Pacific Islands.
  3. [3]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  4. [4]Trade Winds Fruit — http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/index.htm ↩︎The on-line catalogue of a company selling seeds. Gives descriptions, photos and uses of a very wide range of fruit and other food-producing plants plus ornamentals.
  5. [5]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  6. [6]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  7. [7]Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database — http://pdcs.ctahr.hawaii.edu:591/hawnprop/ ↩︎Detailed information on the propagation of a wide range of Hawaiian plants.
  8. [8]Desert Tropicals — http://www.desert-tropicals.com/ ↩︎The main focus of the site is succulent plants, but it also contains information on a wide range of other species. Usually at least one good photograph, plus basic information about the plant and its cultivation.
  9. [9]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  10. [10]Plants of Guam — Moore P.H. & McMakin P. · University of Guam. · 1979 · http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/POG/scipn.htm ↩︎Brief details, usually with a photo, of plants native to the island of Guam, often together with some information on their uses. An online version is available.
  11. [11]Medicinal Plants in Papua New Guinea — World Health Organisation · 2009 · ISBN 978-92-9061-249-0 ↩︎Traditional medicinal uses of 126 species from Papua New Guinea, including information on modern research into the plants.
  12. [12]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  13. [13]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  14. [14]Minor Products of Philippine Forests — Brown. W. H. · Bureau of Forestry, Manilla. · 1920 ↩︎A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
  15. [15]Wild Food Plants of Australia. — Low. T. · Angus and Robertson. · 1989 · ISBN 0-207-14383-8 ↩︎Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast
  16. [16]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  17. [17]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  18. [18]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  19. [19]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.