A Long Road in Pursuing Screwpine

A mate on a mat is the customs of the Galela people in Halmahera, North Maluku where there, a mat is not just used as a sleeping base. Kulewe or screwpine leaf woven becomes marital outfit which is given by the bride. Therefore, the women of Galela have to be able to weave screwpine leaves before getting married.
The bride must give three screwpine mats before the marriage. They serve as a symbol of the woman's willingness for the groom's proposal. Up to now the tradition is still eternal despite of many who also leave it behind. It is revealed after the Biologi Research Centre team of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences explored screwpine on an island as wide as 17.780 km² in May-June 2007. A similar exploration were also conducted in Yapen and Rajaampat, West Papua Province, Kebumen (Central Java), Lamongan (East Java), and Bolaangmongondow and Tomohon (North Sulawesi), each for 21-30 days. The areas are the central of screwpine.
What is meant by a screwpine is a plant which belonged to pandanaceae family member. There are 4 genus under pandanaceae family. They are freycinetia, pandanus, sararanga, and martellidendron. The first three mentioned genus grow in indonesia, particularly in the east region such as papua and maluku. The last mentioned genus are only found in madagaskar and seychelles.
Pandanus genus has the highest species diversity, i.e., around 700 species. From the amount, more than 100 species are found in Papua; 60 species in Kalimantan, and 20 species in Maluku. Indonesia has a special mark due to the high screwpine biodiversity. As a matter of fact, it is assumed that Indonesia is the origin of some species. Some species which are assumed originated from Indonesia is fragrant screwpine Pandanus amaryllifolius and red fruit Pandanus conoideus which was first discovered by Georgius Everhardus Rumphius when he was 16 years old in 1743.
Freycinetia genus is a creeping screwpine and consists of 200 species. There are 60 species in Papua; 30 species in Kalimantan; and 10 species in Maluku, in comparison with its spreading in Malaysia which is only 10 species and 24 species in the Philippines. The utilization of the genus member plant is still minimum, but looking at its elegant figure, freycinetia has the potention as an ornamental plant.
Sararanga was first introduced by a British researcher named William Botting Hemsley. The man who was born in Sussex, British, Desember. 29th, 1843 discovered Sararanga sinuosa in Solomon Archipelago. Other species, Sararanga philipinesis grows in the Philippines. There are only 2 species of Sararanga genus while Martellidendron genus consists of 7 species such as Martellidendron androcephalantos and Martellidendron karaka.
The total general number of Pandanaceae family member plant from the four genus consists of 909 multibenefiting species. Some benefit of screwpine are as foodstuff, seasoning flavour, handicraft material, ritual, and traditional medicine. Thus screwpine has significant value for some of Indonesian and it is such an ironi that screwpine studies is still very rare. Just imagine that the first and only complete screwpine treatise was written by Otto Heinrich Warburg in 1900 when he was still very young, 17 years old.
Since the publication of the monograph, practically there has been no other screwpine treatise. Therefore, the Biology Research Centre of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences has been encouraged to explore screwpine in 5 provinces within the last 2 years. In those explorations the team discovered some new species which are now being identified and new record-old varieties which had never been reported to be existed in any locations.
In those areas screwpine cannot be separated from the people's daily lives. The people of Halmahera, Kebumen, and Lamongan make use of screwpine leaves as the raw material for mat and other handicraft such as hat and bag. But not all varieties of screwpine is suitable as raw material for mat. The most suitable variety is Pandanus tectorius, Pandanus dubius, and Pandanus papuanus. All along the leaves border of the three species are thorny, but their texture are flexible, unbreakable. It means screwpine has a high social and economical value. The social value is seen on the people of Galela customs which make use of mats as a marital ritual outfit. While the high economical value is due to the price of a screwpine mat of 2 m x 1,5 m sized costs Rp500.000. In fact in Kebumen, Central Java, screwpine mat is the export comodity to some countries in Europe.
In many ritual ceremony, screwpine leaves are also used. The people of Galela utilize big screwpine leaves of Pandanus papuanus which is woven for layering corpse. By restraining the tradition, they indirectly play a role in conservating big screwpines. For they will do their best effort in keeping the existence of the plant.
The people of Tidore usually use lamo screwpine Pandanus amaryllifolius for devotional visit to the grave. They cut the fragrant screwpine leaves of 40-80 cm length. Then on every thursday night they make a devotional visit to the grave and the slices of screwpine leaves are spreaded onto the grave. Because of that ritual, on all local people's house yard, lamo screwpine or fragrant screwpine which used to have a scientific name Pandanus latifolius are grown.
The plant is also used for the ritual of guest welcoming. The leaf of lamo screwpine is made into square in which pipper and areca nut are put onto it. Fragrant screwpine can actually flower, and its flower cob is consumable, however, the plant has no chance to flower because the leaves are constantly picked. Besides for the ritual outfit, the leaf of fragrant screwpine also contains medicinal merit. The steepings of the leaf slices in coconut oil is effective to cure rheumatic by rubbing it onto the part of the body which pain is felt.
Fragrant screwpine is not the only species of screwpine which has a medicinal merit. Two years ago a pandanaceae family was famous as the medicine for various diseases. It was red fruit Pandanus conoideus which is vary up to 36 shapes. Among the member of Pandanaceae family, red fruit may be researched the most in relation with the pharmacology aspect as it is proven containing high antioxidant.
Other variety that is usually used as a pain-killer is buro-buro koya or Pandanus dubius and kulewe kokoa (Pandanus papuanus(. The people of Tidore make use of both screwpines innermost frond or growing point as the antidot for the poison of snakes, insects, and various fish such as sea porcupine and rayfish. The innermost frond of screwpine is smashed and rubbed on the sting or snake bite wound.
The root which supports Pandanus dubius and P. papuanus tree is used as shining and strong fiber material by the people of Papua. Taking the root will not interrupt the tree growth. The people of Tabati and Engros in Humboldt Bay, Papua, make use of the fiber from the screwpine root into casting net material and fishing line. The net can last for 3 years although it is often soaked in the sea.
Another benefit of screwpine is as food colouring, seasoning flavour, and food aroma. The species which generally bear the role are fragrant screwpine and bamboo screwpine. In Minahasa and Bolaangmongondow, screwpine leaves are also used to wrap various snacks.
Some other screwpines are usually served as foodstuff. Besides red fruit, the spesies which is often used as foodstuff are coconut screwpine Pandanus brosimos, screwpine Pandanus julianetti, and Pandanus iwen. Those screwpines fruits are roasted and enjoyed just as peanut. In the past, picking coconut screwpine often invited conflict between groups if the harvesting was not in accordance to a group power territory.
Kayari Sararanga sinuosa and raintui Pandanus krauelianus are some other screwpine varieties which fruit is consumable. The fruit flesh of screwpine Pandanus tectorius for the people of Halmahera is like a delicious cannary. They enjoy it while gathering at the sea shore. Due to its pretty performance, screwpine is also qualified to be made as an ornamental plant. The spesies of Freycinetia genus member is creeping and its red fruit is perfect to decorate porch.
The exploration of screwpine to numerous remote places is obviously increasing the number of screwpine speciment collection of Herbarium Bogoriense. For screwpine affairs, the institution can now claim itself as the most complete colector in the world. But the most important thing and eye opening is that screwpine which we disparage, apparently posseses multibenefits.