| Location: Papalaua Valley, Koolau Moloka'i, Hawai'i |
| Pandanus is to Polynesians as the Buffalo to American Indians. Pandanus is to tough and stringy to eat, but leaves were beaten into fiber, then woven into mats, shirts, roofs, walls, floors, offerings — anything woven. The finest Pandanus weave is as pliable as cotton broadcloth — pieces made of such pliant material usually make their way into museums.
The fruit looks like pineapple and is a laxative.
Pandanus has waterborne seeds and grows along most Indo-Pacific tropical coastlines, including Thailand. We have a slightly different sub-species in Phang Nga Bay, but it’s difficult to tell the difference.
Photo Copyright to Lloyd Lewis, Ph.D
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