Marita (red pandanus)
Pandanus conoideus
Long red fruits are cooked and squeezed into a rich red sauce for sweet potato and greens.
Hardiness: zones 11 to 12
Light: full sun
Size: about 25 ft tall, 12 ft wide
Harvest: June to October
From: New Guinea
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food.
Native to: New Guinea & Melanesia. Hardy in zones 11 to 12.
The story
Marita, the red pandanus, is a highlands and lowland New Guinea crop. The long red fruit is cooked, then the pulp is squeezed with water into a thick red sauce poured over sweet potato, greens and pork at feasts.
Planting
Full sun, moist soil, frost-free. Plant cuttings or rooted suckers.
Growing
Stilt roots hold it up; keep mulched. Little else needed.
Harvest and use
Harvest the long red fruits when ripe; cook and squeeze for the sauce.
What to watch for
Prickly leaf edges. Many local varieties; get cuttings from a known good one.
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More tropical and subtropical food plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home