Pandanus odoratissimus ("Adan")

Japanese name: アダン （阿檀）
Scientific name: Pandanus odoratissimus

[Overview]
An evergreen small tree 2–6 m tall, found along the coast and growing on rocky shores that receive wave spray.
Thick branches are produced sparsely, and it sends down prop roots.
The branches spread sideways, and ring-shaped scars remain where leaves have fallen.
The leaves are arranged in three ranks on the trunk and branch tips, but because the trunk and branches twist, they appear to be spiral.
The leaves are linear-lanceolate, 1–1.5 m long and 3–5 cm wide, thick, hard and leathery.
The leaf is triangular in cross section, and sharp spines 2–8 mm long grow sparsely on the margins and on the midrib of the underside.
It is dioecious.
In Japan it flowers from spring to autumn, but the flowering time is not fixed.
The male inflorescence consists of 5–9 spadices, each 4–5 cm long, gathered in a conical cluster 20–25 cm long.
The male inflorescence bears several cream-colored bracts 10–20 cm long.
The female inflorescence is a broadly elliptic spadix bearing a dozen or so bracts 10–20 cm long.
The flowers have neither calyx nor corolla.
The fruit is a multiple fruit made up of many fruits gathered together, 15–20 cm long and broadly elliptic, resembling a pineapple; it ripens to yellowish red and has a pineapple-like fragrance.
Each individual fruit is obovate, about 4–6 cm long and 3–5 cm wide, with the tip shallowly 6–8-lobed.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or cuttings.
In Okinawa, the Ogasawara Islands and similar places it can be grown outdoors; it is fairly cold-tolerant and withstands temperatures down to about 3°C.
It is very resistant to wind and sea wind, and also tolerates dryness.
Plant it in well-drained, humus-rich soil.
Potted plants should get plenty of sun from spring to autumn, and in winter should be brought into a room that receives sun through glass.
It tolerates shade, but in poor light it becomes spindly and weak.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries from spring to autumn, and keep on the dry side in winter.
Do not let water collect between the leaves.
Apply liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks from spring to autumn.
Pests and diseases include leaf blight, scale insects and spider mites.

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