Pandanaceae. 
Pandanus odoratissimus L. 
Hala, Puhala, Lauhala, or Screw-pine. 
(Plate 31.) 
PANDANUS ODORATISSIMUS = f. Suppl. (1781) 424;—Forst. Pl, eseul. (1786) _ et 
Prodr. (1786) no. 368;—End : (1836) n o. 738;—Guillem., Zeph, Tait. 
(1837) No. 136; —Ja rdin, Hist. Nat. [les Marae 858) 27;—Pane her in Scam 
Tahiti (1860) 241 Ni adeaud, Enum. (1873) 286;—Hbd, Fl. Haw. Isl. (1888) 
453 ;— Del Cast. ll. FL Ins. Mar. Pacif, VIL. (1892) 324, et Fl. Fredo Franc. (1893) 
232.—Pandanus verus Rumph. — . amb. IV. (1744) 140 t. —H. Mann Proe. 
= Acad. VIL (1867) 204;—Seem. FI. ide Paget 281;—Waw wra in Flora (1875) 
.: ndanus tectorius Sol. Pri Fi. Pacif. Ined. 350;—Parkins Draw. 
Tahiti Pi,: i113 gee ai Aidesiet apa g dat ores IV. 9 (1900) 46, fig. 138 F. et var. 
andvicensis Warburg l. ¢. p. 
Leaves crowded at the ends of the branches, abruptly narrowing toward the apex into 
a long acumen (point); prickly at the margins and keeled midrib, coriaceous; spadix of 
male flowers compound pendulous, spikes sessile, supported by very odoriferous spathes; 
stamens racemosely fasciculated, the filaments shorter than the column, anthers linear, 
long mucronate; synca rpium surrounde d by sets of white imbricate leaf-like bracts, 
— 
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7 
T° 
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svnetopiors: vaidk h ; i nage ig each about 4 to 10 em long, 2 to 6 em broad, angular, 
composed of 5 to 12 carpels, the flat top divided by shallow grooves into as many spaces 
as there are carpels; the sessile stigmas at first oblique "bak finally apical, uniform. 
The Puhala or Hala is a small tree reaching the height of 15 to 20 feet. The 
trunk is short and branches in a dichotomous manner, having many aerial roots 
above the base and also from the branches. The bark is whitish and covered 
with prickly lenticels. In the female tree the outer cortex is exceedingiy hard, 
while the inner pith is very fibrous and soft. In the male mature tree, however, 
the trunk is more or less solid throughout. The male flowers, which are called 
by the natives Hinano Hala, are very fragrant, and are pendulous from the cen- 
ter of the leaf-whorls; the spadix of the female flowers is solitary, globose, and 
reaches the size of a child’s head when mature, and is orange-colored to red. 
The leaves, which are prickly at the margins, are arranged like a corkscrew, 
from which the tree derives its name. 
The Puhala is most common on the windward sides of all the islands, inhabit- 
ing the lowlands from sea-level up to 2000 feet. It is most common on the coast 
of Puna, Hawaii, and also on the northern slope of Haleakala, Maui, where, on 
the flat plateau above the cliffs between Keanae, Nahiku and Hana, it forms a 
thick forest exclusive of everything else. It is the landmark of the lower levels, 
and is often found with the Kukui and the Koa on Oahu. 
Many, indeed, are the uses of the Puhala. From the leaves handsome mats 
are made, while the wood of male trees, which is of exquisite beauty and exceed- 
ingly hard, was employed for many purposes. 
The orange-colored seeds are strung into leis together with the fragrant 
leaves of the Maile (Gynopogon oliviformis Gaud.) and worn by men and 
women alike. The seeds, after having become dry, were used as brushes, and 
with the fibrous end the various dyes were applied onto their tapa or cloth. In 
of 
