Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. Pandanus chamissonis Gaudich. Pandanus douglasii Gaudich. Pandanus menziesii Gaudich. Pandanus odoratissimus auct. non L. f. Pandanus odoratissimus L. f. var. laevigatus Martelli Pandanus odoratissimus L. f. var. oahuensis Martelli Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. var. chamissonis (Gaudich.) B.C. Stone Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. var. douglasii (Gaudich.) B.C. Stone Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. var. laevigatus (Martelli) B.C. Stone Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. var. menziesii (Gaudich.) B.C. Stone Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. var. oahuensis (Martelli) B.C. Stone Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc. var. sandvicensis Warb. Screwpine, hala, Tahitian screwpine
The hala is native to Malesia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the boundary of the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. By Griensteidl. The hala may also be native to Hawai‘i, or it may have been brought by the Polynesians. I used to call this the ”grenade tree,” because a hotel employee in Bermuda warned us that the grenade-like seedpods sometimes explode when they dry out, shredding the leaves and anything else nearby. I can’t find any evidence to support this though; he conned us. Still a cool name though. Identification: This tree reaches 30-45' (9.1-13 m) in height. Its spiny trunk branches widely into a canopy as much as 35' (10 m) in diameter. Leaves are long, narrow, and sharp—up to 24" (60 cm) long and 2" (5 cm) wide. Most varieties have spines along the edges and midribs of the leaves. The “grenades” are round or oval, consisting of multiple segments called carpels. These fruits turn yellow, orange or reddish as they ripen. Online References:
Pandanus tectorius on Forest and Kim Starr’s Starr Environmental site Pandanus tectorius at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database Pandanus tectorius on Wikipedia Pandanus tectorius on www.agroforestry.net (PDF) Pandanus tectorius at the National Tropical Botanical Garden Pandanus tectorius on Dan Lee Ling’s Botany Pages at the College of Micronesia Pandanus tectorius description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
10/18/1977 · Grotto Bay Hotel, Bermuda 7/19/1998 · Haleakala National Park, Kipahulu District · By National Parks Service Range:
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