6659

17: Fibre plants

Pandanus simplex Merr.

PANDANACEAE

Pandanus utilissimus Elmer.

Louisiana pandan (En). Philippines: karagomoi (Bikol), kalagimai, pandan-totoo (Tagalog).

Endemic to the Philippines; also planted there.

Strips from the large leaves are extensively used in the Philippines for the production of fine or coarse mats, hats, bags and baskets known as 'tampipis', which are used as suitcases. They are also applied in articles like wall pockets, picture frames, fans, pencil boxes and slippers. The finer mats serve as sleeping mats, whereas the coarser ones are mainly used for spreading out and drying products such as copra and rice in the sun. Souvenir and fancy items such as bags, slippers, fans and placemats are exported to the United States, Europe and Australia. The fruit and shoot are edible.

A dioecious tree with erect stem 8 m tall and 12—15 cm in diameter, unbranched or with a few branches, bearing prominent prop roots. Leaves very thick, linear-oblong, 3—6 m x 6—10 cm, margins and underside midrib with prickles and apical ventral pleats prickly. Male inflorescence unknown. Fruit a very large syncarpous polydrupe resembling a jackfruit, 60 cm or longer x 20 cm or wider, weighing up to 25 kg, on a long peduncle; drupes 4—5 cm long. Pandanus simplex grows in forests at low and medium altitudes. In certain areas in the Philippines, e.g. in Laguna Province, Pandanus simplex has considerable economic importance, with many farmers devoting part of their land to it, the area ranging from 50 m² to 1 ha. Here it is propagated by means of suckers, which are planted at 5 m x 5 m spacing. After 10—15 years, however, this planting arrangement is no longer distinguishable because of the proliferation of new suckers. Minimal weeding and maintenance is applied. Leaf harvesting starts 2—3 years after establishment of the crop and 3—5 leaves are gathered per plant per harvest, leaving 30—50 immature leaves on the plant. Subsequent harvests are done at 3-month intervals and may continue for 50 years or more. Harvesting is usually carried out by women and children using sickles. Weaving material from Pandanus simplex is prepared by removing the spiny margins and midribs from the leaves and cutting the leaves into strips of the appropriate width. These strips are dried in the sun and allowed to wilt. They are flattened and made pliable by rolling them under a heavy log, and after further drying they are ready for use. In Laguna Province, the harvested leaves are stripped of their spiny margins and midrib and flattened with an indigenous roller, consisting of a small log mounted in a platform with heavy flat rocks tied to the log. The log is rolled back and forth using a handle while the leaves are passed under its weight. Subsequently they are dried in the sun for 2—3 hours and split into the desired width (0.5—1 cm) with a locally designed metal splitter, after which they are ready for use. About 100 leaves are needed for a mat of 2.5 m x 3.5 m. According to B.C. Stone, Pandanus simplex is classified in subgenus Kurzia, section Utilissima.

[19]Brown, W.H., 1951—1957. Useful plants of the Philippines. Reprint of the 1941—1947 edition. 3 volumes. Technical Bulletin 10. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Bureau of Printing, Manila, the Philippines. Vol. 1 (1951) 590 pp.,
[66]Hanelt, P. & Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (Editors), 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops (except ornamentals). 1st English edition. 6 volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. 3645 pp.
[152]Serrano, R.C., 1988. The home-based pandan industry of Luisiana and Majayjay, Laguna. Canopy International 14(1): 5—7.
[176]Stone, B.C., 1974. Towards an improved infrageneric classification in Pandanus (Pandanaceae). Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 94(4): 459—540.

M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch

Brink, M., Jansen, P.C.M. & Bosch, C.H., 2003. Pandanus simplex Merr.. In: Brink, M and Escobin, R.P. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 17: Fibre plants. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea