Species · genus Pandanus · Pandanaceae

Screw Pine

Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi

Also known as: Tahitian Screwpine · Beach Pandanus · Hala · Thatch Screwpine · Pandanus Palm · Textile Screwpine

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Bismarck Archipelago, Caroline Is., Cocos (Keeling) Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Hawaii, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Line Is., Maluku, Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Nauru, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Niue, Philippines, Pitcairn Is., Queensland, Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Society Is., Solomon Is., Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wake I., Wallis-Futuna Is.

Pandanus tectorius — reference photo — Halenhardy · CC0

Cultivars of P. tectorius

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. tectorius yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Veitch Screw Pine

Pandanus tectorius 'Veitchii', also known as Veitch screw pine or striped screw pine, is an evergreen tree grown for its bold rosettes of arching, spine-edged leaves. Under glass it rarely flowers or fruits, so its appeal rests almost entirely on foliage form.

Source: RHS

Light, Water, Feed

Give it full sun, ideally a west- or south-facing spot with some shelter, and grow it in a peat-free, loam-based compost that stays moist but well-drained. It appreciates moderate to high humidity, and from spring to summer wants moderate watering along with a balanced feed roughly every four weeks. As autumn arrives, ease off on both feeding and watering, keeping it only sparingly watered through winter.

Source: RHS

Seed Or Suckers

Propagate from seed sown in containers at around 18C as soon as it is ripe, after first soaking the seed for 24 hours. Alternatively, suckers can be removed in spring and potted up on their own.

Source: RHS

Spiralled, Striped Leaves

This is a short-stemmed tree that can reach 5m or more, topped with terminal rosettes of long, linear leaves edged with spines. Each leaf can grow to 90cm and carries a creamy-white margin, giving the plant its striped common name. The genus as a whole is known for these spiralled, spine-edged leaf arrangements, and for bearing male and female flowers on separate plants.

Source: RHS

Scale And Red Spider Mite

Under glass this plant can be susceptible to scale insects and glasshouse red spider mite. Otherwise it is generally free of disease.

Source: RHS

Minimal Pruning Needed

Grown under glass, this screw pine generally needs no pruning. It is well suited to being grown as a patio or container plant, and reaches maturity slowly, over roughly 10 to 20 years.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

18–32 °C

Soil mix

Sandy, salt-tolerant free-draining mix

Propagation

Suckers or seed

Fertilizing

Light balanced feed monthly while actively growing

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Screw Pine yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.