Fragrant Pandan
Pandanus amaryllifolius
Family: Pandanaceae
What it is like
Pandanus amaryllifolius is an evergreen Tree growing to 4 m (13ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 4
Where it is found
Not known in a truly wild location.
Cultivated in the Tropics, its original range is uncertain but is probably Indonesia.
Conservation Status: Not Listed.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, East Africa, East Timor, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia (native), Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, USA, Vietnam,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
The fragrant young leaves are cooked and eaten . They are also often used, both fresh or dried, to flavour rice, cassava etc., especially in sweet dishes . Juice extracted from leaves is used to add fragrance to various types of teas and desserts. Desserts include cakes and kueh. The aromatic leaves give a garlic-like flavour to food . Delicious, they add a distinctive musky odour and a natural green colour . The chlorophyll pigments in the leaves will colour foods green. The leaves are also used to wrap other foods, such as rice dumplings . The leaves are not consumed but are removed from the dish before serving. In Indonesia, rice is sometimes steamed in baskets made of the leaves. Thai people wrap the leaves around pieces of seasoned chicken and then fry them. In Southeast Asia, the leaves are often used to make small boxes or containers that can hold pudding or jellies. Although no specific records have yet been seen for this species, most members of this genus have more or less edible fruits, seeds and inner leaf bases . The cylindrical fruit is a syncarp made up of several individual drupes . Individual drupes are hard, woody wedges - each containing a few slender seeds . Each wedge has a fleshy base imbued with a sweet-smelling, orange pulp that, in many species, has a delicious flavour. This pulp needs to be cooked to destroy a harmful substance . The seed often has a delicious nutty flavour when eaten raw or cooked, though it is fiddly to extract . Seeds contain 44 - 50% fat and 20 - 34% protein . The inner base of young leaves - raw .
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Colouring: edible dyes
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The leaves are diuretic and cardiotonic . An infusion is used as a sedative against restlessness and is also a traditional treatment for diabetes . Externally, the leaves are used in the treatment of skin diseases; as a relaxing soak to counter restlessness . They are soaked in coconut oil; the oil is then employed as an embrocation for rheumatic troubles . Three piperidine alkaloids have been isolated and identified from the leaves of fragrant pandan. The application of the leaves as an antidiabetic drug seems linked to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, which has been isolated from Pandanus amaryllifolius roots . It shows hypoglycaemic effects and increases serum insulin levels and liver glycogen content .
Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.
Antidermatosic: Prevents or cures skin complaints.
Antifungal: An agent that inhibits or destroys fungi. Used in the treatment of various fungal problems such as candida.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Cardiotonic: A tonic for the heart.
Deodorant: Masks smells. Is this medicinal?
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Hypoglycaemic: Reduces the levels of sugar in the blood.
Other
Rating: 3
The aromatic leaves are used for perfume . In Thailand, cab drivers use pandan leaves as a natural air freshener. Freshly chopped leaves are mixed with the petals of various flowers to make potpourris . It has been speculated that the scent in fragrant pandan leaves is not an essential oil but a volatile product of oxidative degradation of a yellow carotenoid pigment . The leaves do, however, yield a tiny amount of essential oil . The leaves can be woven into small baskets . They are used to make containers for desserts . The leaves are used to make mats for sleeping on . An extract of the leaves is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a deodorant and masking agent . The essential oil has insect-repellent activity, for instance, against the ordinary cockroach, Periplaneta americana . Pandan leaves, and the extract is used as food preservatives due to their antibacterial and antifungal properties (particularly against mould). Bottled pandan extract is available in shops and often contains green food colouring. The powdered leaves may be used as a repellent against Callosobruchus chinensis infestation of mung-bean seeds .
Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.
Containers: Plants, such as gourds, that can be used as containers. Does not include baskets or containers made from wood.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Deodorant: A pleasant smelling plant that is used on the body to mask the human smell.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Insecticide: Kills insects.
Pot-pourri: Aromatic plants used to impart a pleasant smell to an area. Can this be grouped with incense or essential oil?
Preservative: For food, or for treating wood, ropes etc.
Repellent: Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.
Weaving: Items such as grass and palm leaves that are woven together for making mats, baskets etc. See also Basket making and Fibre.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Fragrant Pandan is a plant of the humid lowland tropics. Apart from the continuous harvesting of fragrant pandan, there are some indications that ever-wet climatic conditions are less favourable for the large growth form's development, thus assisting in perpetuating the small growth form . Fragrant Pandan succeeds in full sun or light shade in moderately fertile, well-drained soil . Fragrant pandan tolerates shade very well . Continual harvesting of the leaves from the shrub form will prevent it from developing into the tree form . When abandoned or allowed to develop without hindrance, it grows very slowly but eventually will enter into the 'large' growth phase and develop a stout trunk . The odour of the leaves remains the same in both growth forms . Harvesting of fragrant pandan may start about six months after planting and may continue for several years . Individual leaves are cut, leaving the top with 3 - 4 leaves intact . Branches do not have dormant buds and will not resprout if cut back into the old wood . A one-ha plot in the Philippines, with fragrant pandan under pepper and some fruit trees, was harvested twice a week, yielding 60 kg of fresh leaves per harvest, or 6 t/ha per year . A dioecious species, but only the male form is known, so seeds cannot be produced. Can be grown in pots (35L+)
Propagating it: Seed is not available for this plant because only male forms are known. Suckers during the growing season. Suckers removed from the leaf axils can be planted straight away or rooted in a sandy medium. Cuttings of lateral shoots. Stem cuttings should be inserted obliquely in the planting medium.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist, wet
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Fragrant screw pine, Pandanus amaryllifolius, Bai toey hom, Bai toey, Ban lan ye, Boro, Curry leaf, Daun pandan, Hedan, La dua, Pandan bau, Pandan rampai, Pandan wangi, Pandan, Pandano, Pandanus leaf, Raampa, Raampe faiy, Rampe, Taey, Toei hom
Synonyms
P. hasskarlii Merr. P. latifolius Hassk. [Illegitimate]. P. latifolius var. minor Hassk. P. odorus Ridl.