SCREW-PINE, Pandan718, a genus of plants of the natural order pandanacew, natives of the tropical parts of the cast and of the South Sea islands. Many of them are remark able for their adventitious roots, with large cup-like spongioles, which their branches send down to the ground, and which serve as props. Their leaves are sword-shaped, with spiny edges, and are spirally arranged in three rows. In general appearance, when unbranched, they resemble gigantic plants of the pineapple, whence their popular name. P. odomtissintes is a. widely diffused species, a spreading and branching tree of 25 ft. high, much used in India for hedges, although it takes up much ground. In the s. of India it is called the Kaldera bush. It grows readily in a poor soil, and is one of the first plants to appear on newly-formed islands in the Pacific. The nude flowers are in long spikes, the female flowers in shorter branches. The flowers are frequently gathered before expanding and boiled with meat. Their delightful and.very powerful fragrance has made the plant a favorite everywhere, and it is the subject of continual allusions in Sanskrit poetry under the name Keta•a. Oil impregnated with the odor of the flowers, and the distilled water of them, are highly esteemed East Indian perfumes. The seeds are eatable, and the fleshy part of the drupes, which grow together in large heads, is eaten in times of scarcity, as is the soft white base of the leaves. The terminal buds are
eaten like those of palms. The spongy and juicy branches are cut into small pieces as food for cattle. The leaves are used for thatching, and for making a kind. of umbrella common in India, and their tough longitudinal fibers for making mats and cordage. The roots are spindle shaped, and are composed of tough fibers; they are therefore split up by basket-makers and used for tying their work.—More valuable, however, as a fibrous plant is an allied species, P. satires or P. l'acoa, the Vacoa of Mauritius, which if permitted grows to a height of about 30 ft., but from continual cropping of its leaves is usually dwarfed to 6 or 10 feet. The fibers of its leaves are used for making the view bags, which constitute so considerable an article of export from Mauritius, rivaling in cheapness and usefulness the gunny bags of India. The leaves are cut every second year, and each plant yields enough to make two large bags. Immediately on being cut off the leaves are split into fillets, which are nearly an inch broad at the base, but taper to a point, and are 3 or 4 ft. long. One of these will support a bag of sugar of about 140 lbs. without breaking. The a6rial roots of the vacoa are so fibrous as to be used for making paint-brushes for coarse purposes.