Pandanus odoratissimus (Kewra)
Posted: August 1st, 2013, 7:45 pm
| Botanical Name | Pandanus odoratissimus, Pandanus odorifer, Keura odorifera, Pandanus fascicularis |
| Additional note | Pandanus tectorius as sold by many seeds vendors is also highly fragrant |
| Family | Pandanaceae |
| Local Name in Urdu | Kewra |
| Common Name | Screw pine |
| Life Cycle | Evergreen |
| Cultivar Name | NA |
| Fragrant or Not | Very fragrant. One bloom is enough to make the whole lawn fragrant with a sweet aroma. Note the male and female plants exist separately. Female bears pineapple like fruits |
| Category(Bush/Vine/Tree) | A |
| Height | Palm like evergreen that can reach up to 20 ft under uncontrolled conditions |
| Spacing | Grows very closely |
| Flowering Months | Occasional bloom in a year, usually summer time |
| Flower Color | Flowers are almost invisible, white an unattractive. However the flowers are covered with large light yellow coloured bracts |
| Growing Areas | India (common), Pakistan (rare) |
| Frost Tender | Yes |
| Exposure | Full sun to semishade |
| Soil pH | Tolerant |
| Propagation | Seeds (soak them for 24 hours before growing), Cuttings of offshoots |
| Uses | Fragrance is distilled, leaves used for thatching |
| Other Details | Pandanus looks like an evergreen palm, the spiny green leaves are arranged spirally at the end of branches. Pandanus require a tropical climate, full sun to partial shade, and well drained soil. Pandanus also give off supporting roots to support the heavy plant. Pandanus flowers once a while in a year but it is a feast when it flowers! A single flower makes the whole lawn fragrant and one can feel the sweet aromatic wafts by standing near the plant. The flower lasts for 1-2 days. After drying the flowers shed tons of pollen. People allergic to pollen must avoid it. It is a must have plant for anyone interested in fragrant plants. Pandanus is sold by many nurserymen in Pakistan as screwpine/ kewra. It is not a true plant so do not buy the rather expensive plant until and unless the true identity has been established (see notes below). But so far my attempts to find the true Pandanus odoratissimus have gone in vain. The only plant I had was at Karachi University. Unfortunately those plants have been uprooted by others and don't exist anymore. The internet images can be misleading.The following pictures are taken from a highly reliable source (Flora of Taiwan 2nd ed. 5: 700, 2000 , Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinicia, Taiwan; with permission, Photographer 劉瑞鎮, CC BY-NC) Note: 1) Thick dark green/ greenish grey leaves 2) Large spines along the leaf edges, and on the mid rib. Plants sold in Pakistan have spines either very small or missing |
FEMALE PLANT
). As you can see, one of the plants is a male plant. The other plants was not flowering so I am not sure about the gender. Kewra grows wild in the marshy areas of Bahawalnagar, Sulaimanki, Kasur etc. I took one of the flowers and it kept my vehicle scented for quite some time. 
