Kewda

Common name: Kewda, Fragrant Screw Pine, Umbrella tree, Screw pine, Screw tree • Assamese: কেতেকী ketaki • Bengali: কেতকী ketaki • Gujarati: કેતક ketak • Hindi: गगण धूल gagan-dhul, जम्बाला jambala, जम्बूल jambul, केओड़ा keora, केतकी ketaki, केंवड़ा kevara, पांशुका panshuka, पांसुका pansuka, पुष्प चामर pushp-chamar, तीक्ष्ण गन्धा tikshna-gandha • Kannada: ಕೇದಗೆ kedage, ಕೇದಗಿ kedagi, ಕೇದಿಗೆ kedige, ಕೇತಕೆ ketake, ತಾಳೇ ಹೂ taale hu • Konkani: बोन्नोंग bonnong, केगदी kegdi, खेवडा khevada • Malayalam: കൈനാറി kainaari, കൈത kaitha • Manipuri: কেতেকী ketaki • Marathi: केगद kegad, केतकी ketaki, केवडा kevada • Oriya: Kia • Sanskrit: हनीलः hanilha, जम्बूल jambul, केतकी ketaki, पांशुका panshuka, पांसुका pansuka, सुगंधिनी sugandhini • Tamil: கேதகை ketakai, தாழை talai • Telugu: గేదగ gedaga, గొజ్జంగి gojjangi, కేతకి ketaki • Urdu: جمبالا jambala, جمبول jambul, کيتکی ketaki, کيوڙا kevara, پانشکا panshuka
Botanical name: Pandanus odorifer Family: Pandanaceae (Screw pine family)
Synonyms: Keura odorifera, Pandanus odoratissimus, Pandanus fascicularis
Fragrant Screw Pine is a small branched tree or shrub with fragrant flowers, found wild in southern India, Burma and the Andamans. it is a small, slender, branching tree with a flexuous trunk supported by brace roots. With rosettes of long-pointed, stiffly leathery, spiny, bluish-green, fragrant leaves, it bears in summer very fragrant flowers. It is used as perfume. aromatic oil (kevda oil) and fragrant distillation (otto) called "keorra-ka-arak". Used plant part - male flowers. They are almost exclusively used in the form of a watery distillate called kewra water. Flowers have a sweet, perfumed odor that has a pleasant quality similar to rose flowers, but kewra is more fruity. The distillate (kewra water, pandanus flower water) is quite diluted; it can be used by the teaspoon, often even by the tablespoon. Most delightful, richest, and powerful of perfumes even when dried.