pandanus
noun
pan·da·nus
pan-ˈdā-nəs 
-ˈda-
-ˈda-
plural pandani
pan-ˈdā-(ˌ)nī
-ˈda-
: screw pine
also
: a fiber made from screw-pine leaves and used for woven products (such as mats)
Examples of pandanus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, lei represent our delicate food genealogies and fragrant flora, as told in our oral histories:
This arid island is known for its lei hala, made from pandanus fruit and presented during periods of change or transition.
—
D. Kauwila Mahi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 July 2025
Even the local flora tells a story; the pandanus, or Adan, once crafted into everyday tools, and the yuuna blossom, honored in Ryukyuan folklore, which blooms for just one day before turning a vivid orange.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The tradition of weaving the lau (leaves) from the hala (pandanus) tree was brought to the Aloha State when the first Polynesian settlers arrived in canoes with sails fashioned from the material, according to some historians.
—Sarah Sekula, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2023
For his modern-day take, Marzan used pandanus, a type of palm-like pine leaf.
—Sarah Sekula, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2023
Its handful of houses hide behind a dune covered with morning glories and pandanus trees, the chitter of cicadas interrupted only by the cadence of waves and the call of an azure-winged jay.
—New York Times, 13 Oct. 2021
Several hiking trails traverse through dense flora—stands of guava, coconut, and breadfruit trees and the largest pandanus grove in Hawaii—and pass natural and cultural attractions like rocky coves, ruins, a haiau (or temple), blowholes, and jagged rock arches.
—Alison Van Houten, Outside Online, 6 June 2019
Photographed by Katrin Koenning All the woven works start with the pandanus leaves (gunga)—specifically in the gathering, preparing and dying of these leaves.
—Megha Kapoor, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2023
Essentially a chiffon cake, it’s infused with green-colored juice from the pandanus palm, an ingredient as common as salt in Southeast Asian cooking.
—Zoe Li, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
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D. Kauwila Mahi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 July 2025
Even the local flora tells a story; the pandanus, or Adan, once crafted into everyday tools, and the yuuna blossom, honored in Ryukyuan folklore, which blooms for just one day before turning a vivid orange.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The tradition of weaving the lau (leaves) from the hala (pandanus) tree was brought to the Aloha State when the first Polynesian settlers arrived in canoes with sails fashioned from the material, according to some historians.
—Sarah Sekula, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2023
For his modern-day take, Marzan used pandanus, a type of palm-like pine leaf.
—Sarah Sekula, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2023
Its handful of houses hide behind a dune covered with morning glories and pandanus trees, the chitter of cicadas interrupted only by the cadence of waves and the call of an azure-winged jay.
—New York Times, 13 Oct. 2021
Several hiking trails traverse through dense flora—stands of guava, coconut, and breadfruit trees and the largest pandanus grove in Hawaii—and pass natural and cultural attractions like rocky coves, ruins, a haiau (or temple), blowholes, and jagged rock arches.
—Alison Van Houten, Outside Online, 6 June 2019
Photographed by Katrin Koenning All the woven works start with the pandanus leaves (gunga)—specifically in the gathering, preparing and dying of these leaves.
—Megha Kapoor, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2023
Essentially a chiffon cake, it’s infused with green-colored juice from the pandanus palm, an ingredient as common as salt in Southeast Asian cooking.
—Zoe Li, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Pandanus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandanus. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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