[9] They commonly have many thick stilt roots near the base, which provide support as the tree grows top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches.

The flowers of the male tree are 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) long and fragrant, surrounded by narrow, white bracts.

The oldest fossil of the genus is Pandanus estellae, which is known from a silicified fruit found in Queensland, Australia, dating to the Oligocene epoch around 32–28 million years ago.

It has many cognates in Austronesian languages, underscoring its importance in Austronesian cultures, including Atayal pangran; Kavalan pangzan; Thao panadan; Tagalog pandan; Chamorro pahong; Manggarai pandang; Malagasy fandrana, Tongan fā; Tahitian fara; Hawaiian hala all referring to plants of similar characteristics and/or uses whether in the same genus (particularly Pandanus tectorius) or otherwise (in the case of Māori whara or hara; e.g.

[18][19] They grow wild mainly in semi-natural vegetation in littoral habitats throughout the tropical and subtropical Pacific, where they can withstand drought, strong winds, and salt spray.

[2] Species growing on exposed coastal headlands and along beaches have thick 'stilt roots' as anchors in the loose sand.

Pandanus fruits are eaten by animals including bats, rats, crabs, and elephants, but the vast majority of species are dispersed primarily by water.

[13] In addition, this split is also associated with the occurrence of specialized layer of water storage tissue (also known as hydrenchyma) in Clade II species of Pandanus that is thought to aid in their adaptation to more water-stressed environments.

Some Pandanus are a source of food, while others provide raw material for clothing, basket weaving and shelter.

"pandan leaf") or simply pandan in Filipino; 斑蘭 (bān lán) in Mandarin; as ใบเตย (bai toei; pronounced [bāj.tɤ̄ːj]) in Thai, lá dứa in Vietnamese; pulao data in Bengali; and rampe in Sinhalese and Hindi.

[32] In Sri Lanka, pandan leaves are used heavily in both vegetable and meat dishes and are often grown in homes.

It is common practice to add a few pieces of pandan leaf when cooking red or white rice as well.

[34] Kewra (also spelled Kevda or Kevada) is an extract distilled from the pandan flower, used to flavor drinks and desserts in Indian cuisine.

Also, kewra or kevada is used in religious worship, and the leaves are used to make hair ornaments worn for their fragrance as well as decorative purpose in western India.

[24] Species with large and medium fruit are edible, notably the many cultivated forms of P. tectorius (P. pulposus) and P. utilis.

Pandanus trees provide materials for housing; clothing and textiles including the manufacture of dilly bags (carrying bags), fine mats or ʻie toga; sails,[44] food, medication,[citation needed] decorations, fishing, and religious uses.

In the Vanuatu Archipelago, natives make woven fish traps from the hard interior root of the pandanus, made like a cage having a narrow entrance.