Pandanus fascicularis
Encyclopedia
Screw Pine is a species of Pandanus
native to southern Asia
, from southern India
east to Taiwan
and the Ryukyu Islands
south of Japan
, and south to Indonesia
.
with fragrant flowers. They are used to extract perfume, aromatic oil (kevda oil) and fragrant distillations (otto) called "keorra-ka-arak". These are stimulant and antispasmodic and are used against headache
and rheumatism
.
The flowers are also used to flavour food; kevda essence is used in numerous Indian sweets like rasgulla, petha
(candied gourd or winter squash), rasmalai and burfi, especially in Rajasthan
. The flower, however, is reputed to attract snakes.
It is mentioned in Brahma
's story as a cursed flower.
One of the sayings of Chanakya
stresses its pleasant smell:
O ketki flower! Serpents live in your midst, you bear no edible fruits, your leaves are covered with thorns, you are crooked in growth, you thrive in mud, and you are not easily accessible. Still for your exceptional fragrance you are as dear as kinsmen to others. Hence, a single excellence overcomes a multitude of blemishes.
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
native to southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, from southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
east to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
south of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and south to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Uses
It is a shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
with fragrant flowers. They are used to extract perfume, aromatic oil (kevda oil) and fragrant distillations (otto) called "keorra-ka-arak". These are stimulant and antispasmodic and are used against headache
Headache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
and rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
.
The flowers are also used to flavour food; kevda essence is used in numerous Indian sweets like rasgulla, petha
Petha
Petha is a translucent soft candy from North India. Usually in the shape of rectangular or cylindrical pieces, it is made from the ash gourd vegetable .With growing demand and perhaps innovations, more and more varieties of the original preparation are available...
(candied gourd or winter squash), rasmalai and burfi, especially in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. The flower, however, is reputed to attract snakes.
Indian tradition
The flower is an important flower in ancient Indian tradition.It is mentioned in Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
's story as a cursed flower.
One of the sayings of Chanakya
Chanakya
Chānakya was a teacher to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta , and the first Indian emperor generally considered to be the architect of his rise to power. Traditionally, Chanakya is also identified by the names Kautilya and VishnuGupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise...
stresses its pleasant smell:
O ketki flower! Serpents live in your midst, you bear no edible fruits, your leaves are covered with thorns, you are crooked in growth, you thrive in mud, and you are not easily accessible. Still for your exceptional fragrance you are as dear as kinsmen to others. Hence, a single excellence overcomes a multitude of blemishes.
Names
Common names include:- Assamese – Keteki; – Ketaki, Keya
- Gujarathi – Ketaky or केवड़ा – Kevadaa, Keora
- Kannada Tale hoovu, Kedige
- Konkani – Bonnong, Kegdi – Kaitha, Thaazha – Kevadaa
- Oriya – Kia (keya)
- Punjabi – Keora – Kētakī – Thazhambu
- Telugu – Mogali
- Tulu – Kaedai