Pandanaceae. 



Pandanus odoratissimus L. 



Hala, Puliala, Lauhala, or Screw-pine. 



(Plate 31.) 



PANDANUS ODORATISSIMUS L. f. Suppl. (1781) 424; Forst. PI. escul. (1786) 38, et 

 Prodr. (1786) no. 368; Endl. Fl. Suds. (1836) no. 738; Guillem., Zeph. Tait. 

 (1837) No. 136; Jardin, Hist. Nat. lies Marqu., (1858) 27; Pancher in Cuzent, 

 Tahiti (1860) 241; Nadeaud, Enum. (1873) 286; Hbd. Fl. Haw. Isl. (1888) 

 453; Del Cast. 111. Fl. Ins. Mar. Pacif. VII. (1892) 324, et Fl. Polyn. Franc. (1893) 

 232. Pandanus verus Eumph. Herb. amb. IV. (1744) 140 t. 74; H. Mann Proc. 

 Am. Acad. VII (1867) 204; Seem. Fl. Vit. (1873) 281; Wawra in Flora (1875) 

 245. Pandanus tectorius Sol. Prin. Fl. Ins. Pacif. Ined. 350; Parkins Draw. 

 Tahiti PI. 113 (ined.); Warburg, Pflzreich. IV. 9 (1900) 46, fig. 13 F. et var. 

 sandvicensis Warburg 1. c. p. 48. 



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; syncarpium surrounded by 3 sets of white imbricate leaf -like bracts, 

 erect, globose, of the size of a child 's head when mature, about 50 to 80 drupes in a 

 syncarpium, reddish when mature, each about 4 to 10 cm long, 2 to 6 cm 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 but finally apical, uniform. 



The Puliala 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 exceedingly 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 Puliala. 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 



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