K for Keteki


Common Name: Kewda, Umbrella Tree, Screw Pine
Scientific Name: Pandanus odorifer
Assamese Name: Keteki

Keteki is another significant flower of Assam. The flower has a very strong fragrance, and when in bloom can be smelled from a distance. Kewda plant is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on different plants. That's interesting, isn't it! Only the flowers of the male plant are harvested to extract the floral bouquet to produce oil, water and perfume. The flower of female plant has no floral bouquet. It is left to develop into fruit.
Last year Keteki was in bloom in our home garden. Here is a photograph of the flower. Not really beautiful but very, very fragrant.

I am taking part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge [April 2016].

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