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Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Zucc.
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.
Plants: 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: Long, narrow, and sharp—up to 2′ long ⨉ 2″ wide (60 ⨉ 5 cm). Most varieties have spines along the edges and midribs of the leaves.
Flowers: Screwpines is dioecious: male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. Male flowers occur as racemes of small, fragrant, and short-lived
flowers, lasting only a single day. The flowers, in groups of three, are gathered in 1′ (30 cm) clusters
surrounded by big, white bracts. Female flowers resemble pineapples.
Fruits: The pineapple-like female flowers become the “grenades.” They are
round or oval, consisting of multiple segments called carpels. These fruits turn yellow, orange or
reddish as they ripen.
Habitats: Coastal lowlands, typically near the edge of the ocean.
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.
10/18/1977 · Grotto Bay Hotel, Bermuda
7/19/1998 · Haleakala National Park, Kipahulu District · By National Parks Service ID is uncertain
ID is uncertain 
