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Glite Dictionary
Pandanus tectorius

Pandanus tectorius

9.9
A tree by the sea with long leaves and fruit people eat and use for weaving
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Pandanus tectorius
  • The fruit of Pandanus tectorius is edible and valued as a traditional food source in many island communities.

Examples

  • The leaves of the Pandanus tectorius are often used for weaving mats and baskets in Pacific cultures.

  • The Pandanus tectorius thrives in sandy coastal areas.

  • During our hike, we saw a tall Pandanus tectorius growing along the sandy shore.

  • Can you identify the Pandanus tectorius in this garden?

  • The fruit of Pandanus tectorius is edible and valued as a traditional food source in many island communities.

  • During our hike, we saw a tall Pandanus tectorius growing along the sandy shore.

  • The leaves of the Pandanus tectorius are often used for weaving mats and baskets in Pacific cultures.

Synonyms

lauhala
vsPandanus tectorius
  • US
9.9

A tropical tree with long leaves that people weave into mats and hats

is cultivated for edible fruit as well as its fibrous leaves
textile screw pine
vsPandanus tectorius
  • Australian
9.9

A tropical plant with long strong leaves people use to weave mats and hats

is described as a cultivated species valued for both edible fruit and fibres

Surface Forms

Pandanus tectorius singular
Pandanus tectorius plural

Morphology

pandanus + tectorius

The form is a scientific binomial: knowing 'pandanus' allows a learner to infer this refers to a screwpine species, so part of the meaning is compositional. However the second element 'tectorius' is a Latin species epithet (not a productive English morpheme) and does not transparently convey the plant's specific properties to a B1 learner, so the full denotation (edible fruit, coastal habit) is not predictable without botanical or Latin knowledge.

Etymology

Pandanus tectorius is named for how people used the tree: Pandanus is the plant's local name and tectorius comes from a word for 'roof', because its long leaves were used to make roofs and to weave mats and food wrappers. So the name reminds us that this tree provided food and useful leaves for island life.