P is for Pandanus utilis

While at the Naples Botanical Garden I noticed the best looking plant with the coolest cones on it.  Not being the plant geek, I had no idea what it was, but I got him on it right away.

A little while later I found one with a label, so his efforts were not longer needed.  What I was seeing was a Screw Pine.  It isn't actually a pine at all, instead it's named for it's pineapple looking fruits.  

Screw Pines are tropical, needing the nice weather found in zone 10, ruling them out of our tropical garden.  We could try one in a pot, but since it can grow 20 feet tall, I'm not sure that's the best option for us.  They are thought to be from Madagascar, but have been in cultivation for so long, it is hard to trace them back to one place.

It's trunk has aerial roots and as you can see in my pictures, whorls of leaves that have reddish spines along the edges.  They are drought and salt tolerant, making them a pretty useful plant.

 The best feature, in my opinion, is the fruits.  Just look at them.  It's important to know that this plant is dioecious, meaning that their are actually female and male plants.  If you want the fruits, you will need to have a female plant that gets pollinated.  Apparently the fruits are edible and can be eaten once cooked.  While I think they are really interesting looking, I'm not sure they are yummy looking.