San Luis, Pampanga, is described by Mr. James H. Bass, supervising
teacher. The unopened leaves are brought down the Chico River in
rafts. The segments are torn from the midrib and boiled for four
hours in five gallons of water to which one liter of nipa vinegar,
a lump of alum the size of an egg, a handful of tamarind leaves,
and a handful of pandakaki leaves (see bleaching agents) have been
added. Other steps follow as in the previous process.
The Mauban Process.--The following description is taken from Circular
No. 27, series 1911, of the Division of Tayabas. Let the unopened
leaves, cut from the stalk, stand in a cool shady place several
days, until the sap has well run. Open the leaves and separate the
segments from the midrib with a sharp knife. Put these carefully into
a petroleum can or other suitable receptacle filled with a boiling
solution of two-thirds water and one-third white nipa or coconut tubá
vinegar (see bleaching agents). Keep the solution boiling until the
segments are cooked so soft that folding them leaves no crease.
Spread the cooked leaves on clean grass in the sun to dry. The drying
process may require one or two days. When the segments are quite dry,
prepare a jar with clear soft water, and put them in this to soak over
night. In the morning remove them from the jar, wash them thoroughly
in clear running soft water and place them in the sun. At noon repeat
the washing process until the segments open, then dry thoroughly in
the sun.
It is customary to roll the buri into coils in order to make it more
convenient to store. The dry leaflets may be made flexible for this
purpose by laying them on the grass in the night air. After a few
minutes they will be flexible enough to roll. Care must be taken to
have the segments smoothly rolled. When used, they should be smoothed
carefully and then split into the widths required.
The process can also be followed with rice vinegar (see bleaching
agents) substituted for the tuba vinegar.
Wash two chupas of rice and cook it in water until it becomes very
soft and starchy. Put this in a clean petroleum can and add cold
water until the can is two-thirds full, then cover the can and let it
stand five or six days. This mixture will become very sour. Strain it
through a piece of sinamay or other cloth. Cook the segments in this
mixture instead of in the solution described in the first process,
and then carry out all the other steps.
The Romblon Process.--In Romblon, great care is exercised as to the
age of the unopened leaf taken for the production of straw. If it
is intended to produce bleached straw, stalks having stems about
two inches long are selected. In the following description, which
was submitted by Mr. R. L. Barron, head teacher, one unopened leaf
is taken as a unit. The midribs are removed and the segments are
rolled into round bundles, say by fives. These are boiled in clear
water for about three hours. The leaves are then placed in a mixture
of half a liter of tuba vinegar (or three liters of vinegar made from
cooked rice, or one-fourth liter of lemon juice) to which enough water
has been added to cover the rolls of buri, and boiled for about five
hours. The material is then spread in the sun for three days to dry,
care being taken that it is not exposed to rain or dew. The segments
are then placed in cool clear water for twelve hours and again placed
out in the sun for two days to dry.
The Dyeing of Buri Straw.
Buri straw intended for mats is usually colored with the cheap
imported coal tar dyes previously noted. It is expected that the new
dyes for which the Bureau of Education has arranged will take the
place of these. Romblon buri mats, which are the finest in point of
workmanship and design made in the Philippines, are colored entirely
by local vegetable dyes.
The methods used in the island of Romblon in dyeing buri straw
have been carefully investigated by Mr. Barron, and are presented
herewith. In each case the unit of material is one stalk of buri for
each color. The process of whitening Romblon buri straw has already
been described.
For red, unopened leaves having stems three feet long should be
selected. The midribs are removed while green, and the leaves are
rolled into bundles of convenient size, say by fives. These are boiled
in clear water for about three hours, after which the segments are
spread in the sun for three days to dry. Care should be taken that
they are not exposed to rain or dew. They are then placed in a fluid
made by boiling two gantas of kolis leaves (see mordants) in plain
water for one hour. The buri leaves remain in the water and soak
thus for three days and three nights. The buri leaflets are then
placed in a vessel containing two gantas of sappan wood (see dyes),
one-half liter of lime water, and one chupa of tobacco leaves. To this
a sufficient quantity of plain water is added to thoroughly submerge
the buri, and the whole is boiled for eight hours, being stirred
at short intervals to obtain a uniform shade of red. The segments
are then removed and hung in the wind for about six hours to dry,
after which they are smoothed and rolled.
For yellow-orange, unopened leaves having stems about two inches long
are selected and the segments are removed from the midribs and rolled
into bundles. These are boiled in clear water for about three hours
and spread in the sun for three days to dry, care being taken that
the buri is not exposed to rain or dew. The material is then placed
in a vessel containing one ganta of powdered turmeric (see dyes), one
chupa of powdered annatto seeds (see dyes), one liter of lime water,
and sufficient clear water to cover the buri, and is boiled in this
mixture for five hours, with frequent stirring. It is then removed and
hung in the wind for one-half day to dry, and is smoothed and rolled.
For green, an unopened leaf having a stem about two inches in length
is selected. The segments are removed from the midribs, rolled into
bundles and boiled in clear water for about three hours. After this,
they are boiled in lye (consisting of ashes) for about two hours, the
mixture of ashes and water covering the buri during the process. The
bundles are then removed from the vessel, wrapped in a bayon, and put
in a dark place for 48 hours. The segments are then taken out and hung
in the wind for about three hours to dry, and are smoothed and rolled.
The preliminary steps in the production of "black straw" (a cold
dark gray) are the same in the making of the green material. The
segments taken from the bayon, as described above, are buried three
days in black mud, in a rice paddy, for instance. The material is then
washed in plain water until clean, and is then boiled for two hours
in a mixture of one-half ganta each of the leaves of talisay, indigo,
and tiagkot (see dyes), with a sufficient quantity of water to cover
the mixture. The whole should be stirred at frequent intervals. After
two hours the strips are removed and hung in the wind for five hours
to dry. Then they are smoothed and rolled.
Types of Buri Mats.
The Bontoc Peninsula of Tayabas produces great quantities of baling
mats and bayons. Bayons are also produced in large quantities in
Capiz province. Other localities are of less importance.
Buri sleeping mats are made from the northernmost part of Luzon,
in the Bangui Peninsula, to the Sulu Archipelago. For the most part
they are woven in small numbers here and there, in the different
towns, sometimes for use in the household in which they are made,
often for local trade in the barrios or municipalities. In nearly
every province there is at least one town in which the production
of buri mats reaches provincial commercial importance. A number
of municipalities produce them for a fairly extensive trade with
neighboring provinces. In most cases these are ordinary products,
usually decorated with a few colors in lines or checks of dyed straws,
either woven in or embroidered on the mat.
In one region, however, buri mats have reached such a degree of
perfection in their weaving and decoration as to have become a
distinctive product known throughout the Islands. These are the
Romblon buri mats, and they are produced throughout the islands of
Romblon. Their central market is the town of the same name. They are
distinctive because of the fine white and colored materials used,
and of the designs which are woven in them. In the designing, not
only checks and line borders but also plaids appear, and many of the
effects produced by floating straws are employed. The Romblon mat,
moreover, is most noticeable because of the fancy weave, making a sort
of open work along the border, for which these mats are unique. Romblon
exports great quantities of mats varying in price from P0.25, to over
P10, and in size from small mats for stands to large decorative mats
which cover the sides of rooms. [9]
Pandan Straws.
Description of Pandans.
Pandans or "screw-pines," as they are sometimes called, are readily
recognized by their characteristic appearance. [10] The common forms
occasionally planted in pots as house plants and in gardens, or more
often found growing wild, have long and rather narrow leaves always
supplied with more or less sharp spines which run along both their
margins to the very tip. Another row of spines is present on the
under surface along the midrib. Bearing in mind this middle row of
spines it is impossible to mistake the leaf of the pandan for that of
the pineapple or maguey, which it resembles more or less in form and
shape. Another very prominent feature of pandans is the presence of
air or prop roots which grow from the stem above the ground and are
helpful to the plant in various ways. The veins of the leaves always
run parallel and in a longitudinal direction. The leaves are never
borne on a petiole, but are attached directly, in winding corkscrew
fashion, in ranks of three, to the stem.
Pandans are true tropical shrubs or trees. Although also found in the
subtropics of Australia, they never occur in other temperate regions
except when raised as ornamental plants in greenhouses. Even their
distribution in the tropics is limited, as they are found growing
wild only in the tropical regions of the Old World, especially on
the islands lying between the mainland of Australia and southeastern
Asia. They are hardly ever cultivated, for where they do occur they
are found in more than sufficient quantity for the purposes to which
they are put. They are essentially seacoast or open swamp forms,
generally found at low altitudes and appearing to find a moist, warm
climate most congenial to their growth. In the Philippines they occur
in all provinces, though not always in sufficient quantity to make
them of commercial importance.
The structure of the pandans presents many exceedingly interesting
characteristics well worth noticing. Some plants are very low with
leaves not wider than a blade of grass, while others form large trees
with leaves many meters long and several decimeters wide. Spines
generally occur along the whole margin of the leaf, though in a few
forms, especially in cultivated varieties, they may be present only
at the tip or may be wanting entirely. The marginal spines usually
curve forward and vary in size from small, hardly perceptible forms,
to large sharp conical structures. At times they are set very close
together; again they may be several centimeters apart. Those on
the midrib most often curve backwards and may vary the same as the
marginal spines. Generally the spines are green in color, though in
some species they are pale-green, red, black or white.
Some forms seem to creep along the ground, while others, low and bushy
and standing close together, form, with their numerous supporting
prop roots, an almost impenetrable jungle. The high tree forms are
very striking because of their peculiarly shaped crowns.
The first roots which the pandans develop soon disappear and their
place is taken by others. Starting high above the ground, these grow
at an angle from the stem and generally reach the soil. They serve
the twofold purpose of supporting the stem and of supplying it with
sufficient air. If, by accident, the underground roots die off,
the plant relies entirely on these air and prop roots for support
and food. The strong prop roots are generally of the same diameter
throughout, though sometimes they thicken at the ends. Normally they
never branch above the ground, but after reaching the soil very often
divide. The tip of the roots is protected by a cap, while a layer of
cork tissue prevents the drying out of the root body.
The pandan has two kinds of flowers, male and female. The male flowers
are arranged in the form of a spike protected by a modified leaf
called the bract. They are white in color, crowded together on the
spike and consist of stamens which hold the pollen. The flowers do
not have the showy colored bracts which forms so prominent a feature
in those of many other plants. The female flowers consist only of the
necessary parts. As the pollen occurs in enormous quantities and as
the plants generally grow in groups, it is very probable that some
flowers are pollinated by the wind. The fact that many pandans have
very fragrant blossoms makes it almost certain that in the majority of
cases insect pollination takes place. In a few forms that have a very
disagreeable odor, pollination is effected by night flying insects.
The fruit commonly has the general shape of the female inflorescence,
but as it matures it increases greatly in size. Pandans have a
composite fruit made up of smaller fruits called drupes. The most
common forms resemble the pineapple with its leafy fruit apex cut
off. As is natural, variations from this type occur. Cylindrical,
eggshaped, jackfruit-like forms are quite common. The largest may
be 60 cm. long and weigh 25 kilos, the smallest only 7 cm. in length
and 60 grams in weight. The fruit may occur solitary at the end of a
branch, or in groups. The color is green, though some species change
to a bright red before maturity is reached. The fruit may have drupes
ranging from 12 mm. to 14 mm. in length and these may contain one
seed or a number of seeds. At maturity the drupes separate and the
fruit falls apart. If the plant occurs along the water, the seeds,
when liberated, float about until they rest in a suitable place
for germination.
Uses of Pandans.
Pandans are valued chiefly for their strong fibrous leaves, which are
woven into mats, bags, and hats. Unless specially prepared, the soft
plant tissue between the harder leaf fibers becomes dry and dirty
and breaks in time; hence the ordinary pandan bag or mat can not
be considered a durable article. However, when treated to a boiling
process or when rolled, as explained for sabutan and the pandan of
Majayjay, the leaves yield straw which is stronger and more durable
than most palm or sedge straw used for the same purposes.
Pandan mats are important articles of domestic commerce in Malaysia,
as it is estimated that four-fifths of the total population use them
for sleeping purposes. In all places except where palms, like the
buri or sedges occur, they yield the most suitable and most easily
prepared mat material. Generally the whole leaf is utilized after
removing the marginal and midrib spines. The coarsest mats are used
in drying out copra, cacao beans, paddy, and such products. Pandan
mats are made and used widely in the Philippines.
Formerly, before gunny sacks came into general use, coffee was packed
in pandan bags and where pandans did not grow they were introduced
and cultivated for that purpose. Even to-day bags from pandan play
an important part in transporting sugar, coffee, and other tropical
products in and around southern Asia. Few pandan bags are made in
the Philippines in comparison with the enormous quantity of bayons
woven of buri straw and used to contain domestic rice and export sugar.
Pandans are used extensively for making hats in the Philippines as
well as in other parts of the world. In several islands of the Pacific
very fine ones are woven from straw consisting of the whole leaf cut
into strips. In the Loochoo Islands imitation Panama hats of great
strength are woven from the skin of a pandan, bleached and rolled
into a straw. In the Philippines numerous varieties of pandan hats
are produced, varying in grade from the fine and expensive sabutan
to the coarse pandan. [11]
In some other places, as Burma, pandan leaves are woven or sewed into
sails. In southern India they are utilized as umbrella covering. If
no stronger material is obtainable, the leaves are placed on roofs
as thatching, but they do not seem to lend themselves well to that
purpose. In countries where they grow, they are often used instead
of twine or made into ropes or hunting nets, or into drag ropes for
fishing nets. They are said to be excellent paper-making material. In
some islands the fibers are separated from the leaf and used by the
inhabitants in the manufacture of belts and aprons.
The wood of the tree pandans is too spongy and soft to make a good
material for the construction of houses. Still, on small islands,
such as the Coral and Marshall Islands, the natives construct their
huts from pandan wood. Generally, it is used only for rough, temporary
work. In some localities the soft interior part is removed to make
water pipes. Again, because of its lightness, the wood is used by the
people on the many islands of the Pacific to buoy their fishing nets.
Pandan roots are employed for various purposes. If sufficiently
thin they are used, after being cleaned, for making baskets. The
roots may also be pounded out, cleaned and made into brushes for
painting or whitewashing houses. They are sometimes so employed in
the Philippines. They are also used for cordage. A medicinal oil is
sometimes obtained from them.
The flowers of some pandans, especially those of Pandanus tectorius,
are extremely fragrant. This plant is the most widely distributed of
the pandans and is the most frequent pandan found along the seacoast
and in low altitudes. Some botanists claim that the male flowers of
this species have the sweetest odor known among plants. So powerful
is their fragrance that by it sailors can often tell the presence of
land before they actually see it. The natives in some places use the
flowers in making an aromatic water, or, by distillation, a volatile
oil, known as keura oil, which is used medicinally for rheumatism.
Certain pandan fruit is extremely oily and serves at times as a
substitute for butter. The sap has the taste of sweet apples and is
relished by the inhabitants in many islands. In some places it is
even made into fruit jam.
The very young leaves, especially those surrounding the flowers,
are eaten raw or cooked, and constitute an important article of diet
when a famine sweeps India.
Kinds of Pandans.
The Common Seashore Pandan.
In a walk of half a mile or, at most, a mile along the beach of any
of the seacoast provinces in the Philippines, one is almost sure
to come across Pandanus tectorius. A map showing the distribution
of this pandan would therefore be practically an outline map of the
Islands. The species does not grow in nipa swamps, though immediately
back of them it will be found well established. Neither could one
expect to find it in localities where the cliffs come down abruptly
to the sea, permitting only the existence of vegetable life of the
lowest form.
Pandan is its usual name in the Philippines. In Zambales it is called
"panglan" or "panglan babai." Another name is "pangdan."
The stem is not very strong, and reaches a height of from 3 to 6
meters. It is generally supported by aerial roots. The leaves are of
medium thickness, on the average 1.35 m. long and 6 cm. wide. They are
provided with strong sharp spines about 5 mm. in length. These are
curved forward and are as much as one centimeter, or a little more,
apart. The spines on the under surface of the midrib are shorter
and farther apart, but bend in the same direction. The male flowers
form a spike and these are surrounded by very fragrant leaves called
spathes. The fruit is 20 cm. long, 18 cm. wide, and contains from 50
to 80 drupes, each about 5.5 cm. long and 2.5 to 3 cm. wide. The upper
half of the drupes are free but close together. There are small furrows
on the tops of the drupes, rather deep but not very distinct. When
ripe the fruit has a fine red color and the drupes fall from the head.
Pandanus tectorius is of considerable importance in nearly all parts
of the world where it grows, and it is devoted to most of the uses
already noted for pandans in general. In certain places, large
industries are founded on it. In India, the leaves are cut every
second year and made into large bags. Hats are produced from it in
the Pacific Islands, those from the Hawaiian group being especially
well known. It is probable that the imitation Panama hats of the
Loochoo Islands are also woven from a material (raffia) prepared from
the common pandan. In the Marshall Islands it is recorded that forty
varieties of this species have been evolved in the course of planting
and cultivation for industrial purposes.
From the information submitted with the specimens received in
the Bureau of Education, it is to be judged that the economic
importance of the common pandan in the Philippines is of but little
consequence. Though widely used, no large or even local industries
are based upon it. A scattering production of hats, mats, and bags is
reported in Abra, Union, Zambales, Mindoro, Bulacan, Rizal, Batangas,
Sorsogon, Iloilo, Antique, Oriental Negros, Cebu, Leyte, and Sorsogon
provinces. Near Badoc, Ilocos Norte, and along the Abra border the
Tinguian people make mats from an upland variety for local trade. In
Balayan, Batangas, the leaves are used for thatching. In Surigao they
are also made into baskets. In most processes the preparation of the
straw consists of cutting the leaves into strips and drying them. In
Zambales, however, it is reported that the leaves are flattened,
pressed, split, and rolled. In Mindoro, they are soaked in water and
dried in the sun before being cut into straw. It is probable that much
better material could be prepared from this pandan if such processes
as are used in the making of sabutan straw and straw from the Majayjay
pandan were followed.
Judging from the results obtained in other countries, it would seem
that if suckers of the common pandan were taken, in the districts in
which it grows, planted, and cultivated, varieties would result which
would be much better adapted for industrial purposes than the parent
stock. Indeed, it is probable that sabutan, the Philippine pandan
of greatest economic importance, is a variety which is the result
of generations of planting, still closely resembling P. tectorius
but differing from it in its leaves, which are thinner, longer,
of finer texture and of greater strength. It is possible also that
sarakat, the economic pandan of the Bangui Peninsula, Ilocos Norte,
is a variety of P. tectorius.
Varieties of the Common Pandan.
Sabutan.
Botanical.--It is a question among botanists whether the pandan known
as sabutan is a variety of the common sea-shore pandan (P. tectorius)
or whether it has sufficient distinctive characteristics to entitle
it to be considered as a separate species (P. sabotan). Botanists
have not as yet succeeded in securing a fruit of this pandan, which
could settle the question, and it is very doubtful whether the fruit
will ever be found. [12] Prof. Ugolino Martelli of Florence, Italy,
an authority on pandans, considers sabutan to be Pandanus tectorius
var. sinensis. This classification is for the present accepted, as
most evidence is in favor of such determination and in this paper
sabutan is therefore considered to be a variety of the common pandan,
the chief change in which, through generations of planting, has been
in the production of a leaf stronger, thinner, and of finer texture
than that of the parent stock.