Screw Pine

Screw pine mat weaving is an ancient craft and is one of the major cottage industries in Kerala. Around three types of mats are woven with Screw pine leaves. It is believed that screw pine mat weaving has existed for more than 800 years. Embroidery work is also done on screw pine which is very attractive. This craft is popular widely in Karunagapalli Taluk of Kollam District, Mavelikkara and Karthikapalli Taluks of Alappuzha district. It is also popular in Thazava, Vachrai and Vallikunnam Panchayaths in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam Districts. Screw pine leaves are also woven, hand embroidered and shaped into products like household linen, straw hats, and carry bags. Screw pine belongs to Pandanaceae family. It is a Paleotropic family of 800 trees and shrubs. It is a large plant and grows best in bright light but needs shade from bright summer sun. The soil should be kept evenly moist in summers but drier in winters to prevent root rot. The soil should be dry before watering and then thoroughly saturated. They are identified by sword shaped leaves, prickly margins, spiral arrangement and aerial roots, with a coarse foliage texture. The word Pandanus is derived from Indonesian name of tree Pandan, known as screw pine. They have vicious throngs on the spines and sides of the leaves. Spliced Pandanus leaves are every flexible and pliable. Screwpine bear a strong resemblance to Palm leaf.