The common screw pine (Pandanus utilis) is native to Madagascar that strange island home of the lemurs. It is thought that there are more than 650 species of screw pines in the Old World tropics. But pines they are not; these odd plants are monocots, related to grasses, orchids, and palms.

Screw pines received their common name from the fact that the strap-like leaves are spirally arranged around the branches. They are dioecious; staminate (male) or ovulate (female) flowers are borne on separate plants. The male flowers are noted for their fragrance, the females for their distinctive pineapple-like fruit.

The female flowers are crowded along the flower spike. Each flower gives rise to a fruit, known as a drupe. A drupe is a single seed within a fleshy outer layer. (Cherries and olives are examples of drupes.) One hundred or more drupes, each from a female flower, form the aggregate fruit of the screw pine.

As screw pines grow larger, they produce prop roots around the base of trunk. These roots act as anchors and aid in keeping the screw pines upright during times of heavy winds and rain. Sometimes, though, the lower trunk is injured and decays, leaving the screw pine standing on its prop roots.

The leaves of screw pines have fine hooked spines along the edges. But these leaves are tough which makes them useful for thatching, mats, and baskets.