Specimen
Habitat
MP-0011 / 0024 â Pandanaceae
Pandanus odorifer (Forssk.) Kuntze
Togenashi-adan (JP)
A coastal screw pine on stilt roots, whose spiralled leaves have long been woven in the Ryukyus.
Distribution
Coasts of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific.
Habitat
Rocky and sandy shores, coastal thickets and the seaward margin of coastal forest.
Morphology
A branched, dioecious tree with stilt (prop) roots. The long, linear leaves are arranged in three spiral ranks and have spiny margins and midrib in the typical form; spineless forms, as cultivated in Okinawa, have these spines much reduced. The fruit is a pineapple-like compound head (syncarp).
Botanical notes
A key species of the coastal zone: its stilt roots stabilise shifting ground and its dense crown shelters the shore. Leaves have long been used for weaving in the Ryukyus. The spineless form is treated here as a cultivated line of the species; its exact status is to be confirmed.
References
Taxonomy and distribution follow Plants of the World Online (Kew), YList (Yonekura & Kajita) and regional floras; CITES Species+ for trade status. Descriptions are provisional and are revised as specimens are verified.