Corncob Screw Pine
Pandanus krauelianus

Family: Pandanaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows up to 5-12 m tall. It spreads to 2-3 m wide. It has prop roots. The trunk and roots are prickly. It has an open crown. The leaves are simple and 1.65 m long by 4-5 cm wide. The edges of the leaf have teeth and spines. The leaves are strap like but M shaped in cross section. They are dark green above and waxy underneath. The male flowering stalks are branched and 25-35 cm long. They have cream bracts. The male spikes are 10-15 cm long and greenish-cream. The female flowering stalks are not branched. They are enclosed in large orange-yellow bracts. The look like a cob of corn in its husk. The fruit are 22 cm long by 7.5 cm wide. They contain many seeds. The seeds are 2 cm long by 0.9 cm wide. The inner flesh is edible when it is soft and ripe. A screwpine or Pandan. The leaves are oblong and 2 m long by 3-3.5 cm wide. They have short spines along the edges. They taper at the tip. The fruit is made up or lots of fused fruit. They are cylinder shaped and 20-30 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. The fruit are yellow when mature. The small sections are 1.5-2.5 cm long by 3-5 mm wide.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in mountainous regions along rivers. It occurs in Maluku. It grows naturally in the foothills of rainforest in NE Queensland in Australia. It does best in a sheltered location and with some shade. It needs well drained soil. I has been recorded in lowland swamps and grows from sea level to 1,600 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia (country/location of origin), Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia

How it is used for food

The fruit contains and oil used to flavour food in cooking. It is used like marita (Pandanus conoideus) The inner flesh is edible when it is soft and ripe but it can irritate the mouth.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from fresh seed.

Its other names

Local names

La gili

Synonyms

Pandanus amboinensis Warb.; Pandanus biciliatus H. St. John; Pandanus biformatis H. St. John; Pandanus ceramicus var. sylvestris Kunth; Pandanus cernuifolius Merr. & L. M. Perry; Pandanus croceus B. C. Stone; Pandanus flabellistigma Martelli; Pandanus flavicarpus B. C. Stone; Pandanus kivi Martelli; Pandanus kosteri B. C. Stone; Pandanus luteus H. St. John; Pandanus microdontus Merr. & L. M. Perry; Pandanus montanus Miq. [Illegitimate]; Pandanus nakanaiensis B. C. Stone; Pandanus roseus B. C. Stone; Pandanus rubellus B. C. Stone; Pandanus rumphi Warb. [Illegitimate]; Pandanus tabbersianus Rendle; Pandanus terrestris Warb.; Pandanus xanthocarpus Merr. & L. M Perry; Pandanus zea H. St. John;