ဆပ်သဖူး

Myanmar Name – Sat tha phoo

Common Name – Hala tree

Botanical Name – Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi

Family Name – Pandanaceae

Habitat – Native to India, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and South Africa.

Habit – Medium-sized tree, reaching heights of up to 15 meters (50 feet). It has a distinctive growth habit with aerial prop roots that help support the tree in sandy soils.

Bark – rough and fibrous, often with a grayish-brown coloration. It may be marked with ridges and furrows as the tree matures

Leaves – Long and narrow, typically ranging from 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6 feet) in length. They are tough and leathery, with spiny edges, and are often spirally arranged at the top of the trunk.

Inflorescence – A dense cluster of small flowers borne on a spadix, which is surrounded by a spiny bract.

Flower – Small and inconspicuous, with male and female flowers typically borne on separate trees. They are often greenish-white in color

Fruit – A large, compound fruit resembling a pineapple, consisting of multiple individual drupes fused together. It is typically orange or yellow when ripe and contains edible seeds embedded in a fleshy pulp.

Seed – Large and typically surrounded by a fibrous or fleshy aril.

Flowering and Fruiting Time – Flowering time from May to September and fruiting time from September to December.

Usage – The main products of the flower are aromatic oil and perfume. In medicine, headache, four-sided pain, cold, cough, it is used in the treatment of spasms, skin diseases and cancer.