Pandanus odoratissimus (Kewra)

[M Farooq]

Thank you very much for you offer. I will certainly bother you. I hope it flowers soon and you enjoy its unique fragrance.

[mikhurram]

Dr Farooq,
I was informed that the suitable conditions for growing Kewra is a place where it gets sunshine from morning till 12:00 am and then shade and prefers a site with lots of water/moisture. Would this imply that a raised bed is not necessary for this plant and it can tolerate standing water.? These days temperature is around 16'C and would it ok to plant in ground these days or i should wait till end of February as i was told that it can be planted in ground these days? Please share your experience as you have grown kewra in Karachi.

[aykhan]

Very nice. Would really love to see the flower once it blooms.

[suffi]

kewra ka plants kider sy mel jaye ga

[M Farooq]

Dr Farooq,
I was informed that the suitable conditions for growing Kewra is a place where it gets sunshine from morning till 12:00 am and then shade and prefers a site with lots of water/moisture. Would this imply that a raised bed is not necessary for this plant and it can tolerate standing water.? These days temperature is around 16'C and would it ok to plant in ground these days or i should wait till end of February as i was told that it can be planted in ground these days? Please share your experience as you have grown kewra in Karachi.

Khurram sb, I don't think it requires such a strict control of sunlight or water. It is a very robust plant i.e. nothing happens to it if you don't water it for some time. The Pandanus we had, was growing between two huge trees (but not overlapping), so it did receive some sunlight and some shade. When I took a branch to Islamabad, it died in a month. It simply did not tolerate the winter and cold winds. Since your plant is quite young, it would be better to follow the instructions given by the nurseryman. BTW, how sure was the nurseryman about this plant i.e. a true kewra?

Regards.

[mikhurram]

Actually Dr Farooq this supposedly Kewra plant was acquired from someone who had grown a Kewra plant in his garden more than 30 years back. The original plant got displaced or uprooted and i merely mentioned that name of Kewra and didn't even show the photo of Kewra. The search took 3 months.

[mikhurram]

Now i can say with some degree of certainty that the search for a true Kewra is over but it can only be confirmed by Dr Farooq.
Attached are some pictures of a mature Kewra plant around 20 feet tall growing in a private garden. The leaves of this tree are identical to to Kewra plant whose photos i had posted earlier. Tried to capture a snapshot of this having some spent flowers but it's not clearly visible in the last picture but can been noticed if watched closely. I was told that this tree bears flowers around March/April.

[suffi]

Farooq Saheb not really sure I can go to Bahawalnagar but the idea is quite enchanting.

Yes it is. It is exciting to know that Pandanus exists in abundance in Pakistan.

plz can u tell where it is avalible in pakistan

[Mustansir Billah]

Wow. Huge size plants!

[M Farooq]

Thank you Khurram sahab for posting your pictures and hard work. It certainly is a true kewra-the leathery dull green leaves, dried flower, size and pattern of the thorns on the leaf edges all go in favour of kewra :-). And finally you know its gender i.e. it is a flowering gender rather than fruits only kewra.

It looks likes that the plant is growing in someone's garden and they can also confirm that the flowers are fragrant. If the owner is kind enough, you can request/ buy a large sized branch (4-5 ft) ideally with emerging supporting roots. Your plant was quite young and you might have to wait for sometime (and the gender was not confirmed by the nurserymen).