Today, bought a Pandanus pedunculatus for my front yard.
You may know it as a Pandanus tree. Or a screw pine. Or a penis tree – so nicknamed for its interesting prop root system.
Then again, you may not know it at all.
Native to Coastal Eastern Queensland and New South Wales, there are 2 camps in regards to these trees. Jeanie dislikes them. She says they bring bats. She says they are horrible spiky things – and they are, indeed, not for everyone.
But they grow amazingly well by the sea, and I find their root systems incredibly interesting. With the right plants around them they look gorgeous.
Pandanus fruit are eaten by animals including bats, rats, crabs, elephants and monitor lizards. I don’t see many elephants around here, but yes, we have bats, crabs and monitor lizards. What sub-tropical seaside community doesn’t? Probably a rat or two. But I am so not acknowledging that.
Indigenous Australians used the pandanus for survival. Every part of the tree was used. Fruit was eaten fresh and cooked. (The fibrous nature of the fruit makes it a natural dental floss!) The flowers are pleasantly fragrant and were used for perfume and body decor. Medicine – to treat scrofula, skin inflammation, sores, constipation, diarrhea, urinary tract problems, arthritis, stomach spasms, asthma, back pain, heart attacks, and, wiki tells me, internal fractures. Fine mats, woven from the fibres in the leaves, were used for burials and special presentations.
So, in my camp, the history and usefulness of this tree adds to its unique appearance, and, sorry Jeanie, I am soon to plant this treasure out by the mailbox.
I’m sure the postie will just love me. ;)
So, which camp are you in – the pandanus fans or the prickly spiky shit things camp?
Awesome.
It looks a pretty amazing tree (but I don’t care for bats). I grew up in a temperate climate and am not familiar with all the hot weather vegetation. Love the photo of the tree on the rock, though.
Looks wonderful. But I think it would harbour spiders and that puts me right off.
Is the link to Jeanies blog broken? I couldn’t get it to work.
Poop. Fixed now, I think. Thanks for that!
love it!!!!!
Hmm, I’m not sure which camp I am in. I’m inclined to agree with leechbabe, and anything that harbours spiders is definitely NOT alright with me!
Cool! It looks like something from another planet. What kind of crabs eat them? I love having medicinal plants around–I might not use them, but it’s nice to know they’re out there if I need them.
I have been around these trees all my life. We planted one in our yard but I have NEVER heard them called penis trees! After seeing that photo I will think of them this way forever more!
I heart pandanus – long as I don’t have to live too close to it! (Just not a bat fan, sorry!)
:-)
BB
I think I’m in your camp….are these the trees that provide pandanus leaf for food flavouring? That taste of Indonesia? Mmm, yum…..
Never heard of that tree before, looks tricky to plant, don’t think I want one thank you.
What an odd tree! But bats are useful creatures. They eat lots of bugs.
They are one of my favourite native plants …. and as a botanist who’s devoted a fair few years of her working life into researching native plants, that’s gotta count for something right??? ;)
By “prickly spiky shit” do you mean all the stupid landscaping Yukkas and grassy things that are taking over every new front yard? I used to think they were interesting. But now the whole neighbourhood has front yards choking with prickly spiky shit.
Your penis plant has character.
Its not bats that worry me with the pandanus – or indeed any wildlife if may potentially harbour.
If you are near the coast where pandanus thrive, the wind takes care of anything lurking between the fronds…
In fact, it is the “fronds” that are the main problem. The fronds fly in a gale – nothing like a little frolicking frond activity to undo all that artistic landscaping.
Bats don’t screech like the imagined voices of your neighbours as they battle the razor-like spikes of the fronds littering their yards… or indeed, your own voice as your hands are shredded picking the darned things up from your own…
Invest in a mulcher – at least they can be used as a good groundcover.
Make friends with the local cultural centre – perhaps there is someone who wants a fresh frond or two to make a basket, but I can assure you the frond gets past the “ideal for basket weaving” and into the “death by a thousand cuts” league pretty quickly.
Buy the best alcohol you can afford for your postie, because he will remember – and possibly avoid – your box unless you lure him once this monster gets going.
Thats all.