When you visit the wetlands, you can find some shrubs growing near the mangrove. The Screw pine, 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 (Parkinson, 1774), is one of the small trees that live behind the mangrove, with a height around 4 to 14m. Screw pines are found in the tropical and subtropical regions. 🌴Originating from some place in Southeast Asia, Pacific islands and northern Australia, this species is also found in Hong Kong. It can grow in acidic to alkaline soil, and as it has a high ability to withstand the salty winds, you can find it in the exposed seaside. If you observe it closely, you will find there are some aerial roots around the tree. The aerial roots surrounding the lower part of the trunk, provide support to the plant and absorb the nutrients from the ground. The leaves of screw pine are sword-shaped and have saw-like margins. In the past, children used the leaves to make a cage for keeping jumping spiders. 🕷
This tree is easy to recognize because the fruit of screw pine looks like a pineapple, so some people call them “fake pineapples”. Unlike the pineapple which has juicy and sweet fruit, the fruit of screw pine is dry and tasteless, making them light and able to spread through the seawater. Each tree produces only 8 to 12 fruits per year, with the seeds stored inside the fruit, and having a small size (around 6-20mm long). In some individuals, some small white seeds can be found, these seeds taste like coconut. 🥥
Although we do not eat the fruit directly, Screw Pine has many functions in medicine. The root of screw pine is a Chinese medicine that is used for making Twenty Four Flavors- a kind of Chinese Liangcha. In western medicine, the extract from the fruit can regulate blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity. However, to be pharmaceutically active💊, several rounds of processes such as extraction are needed for the product to have effects, so please do not collect them by yourself.
Text: Zoey Chung
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