Screw Pines at Moraya Bay

Those interestingly shaped pine trees on the NW corner of The Moraya Bay Beach Tower site are Screw Pines, or Pandanus utilius from the original landscape of the old Vanderbilt Inn. They will soon be replaced by another type of tree, but a few of them will be saved and moved to a new location near the front of the building.

In its native habitat, screw pine, with its many aerial prop roots, is sometimes used for erosion control and to bind sand dunes. The long strap shaped leaves of screw pine are, to this day, used to make mats, baskets and thatched roofs. The fruits are edible. The male plants produce fragrant colorful flowers in long spikes. The females produce weird looking pendulous fruits that resemble orange pineapples or oversized pine cones.

Smaller versions make great container plants.

AndersonGriffin
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