The hala fruit, the strangest in the world

In the tropical jungles of the Pacific lives a tree that produces the strangest edible fruit in the world: when unopened, we could almost say that it resembles a brain; but when it opens, it gives the impression of being an exploding planet.

The word hello fruit in English, or fruit of hala in Spanish, and it is made up of numerous crowded phalanges. Inside, it has a round, light yellow seed. But in addition to being beautiful, it is medicinal.

Uses of hala fruit

The hala fruit is about 30 centimeters long by another 20 centimeters in diameter. The edible part is the phalanges, which have a pleasant, sweet taste. It can be consumed raw, although it is also used to flavor dishes, and as a medicinal. It's more, in its places of origin it is used to relieve headaches, constipation and to have a stronger defense systemIt is rich in vitamin C. Even the fiber is so hard that it can be used as dental floss.

The plant that produces it is the Pandanus tectorius, an evergreen tree that reaches 9 meters in height. It is known as the hala tree, and it is native to Queensland (Australia), Indonesia and some Pacific islands, including Hawaii. Being very sensitive to cold, in Spain we can only cultivate it in very specific points, such as in some places in the Canary Islands, perhaps on the Costa Tropical of Malaga, and as an indoor plant in the rest.

In fact, for this reason in nurseries it is easier to find other species of Pandanus, such as the Pandanus utilis, which, although it is also tropical, resists the cold somewhat. Its fruit is also edible, although it does not have as much flavor as the hala fruit. In some oriental cuisine restaurants they sometimes use the leaves of the Pandanus amyllifolius, which are often known by the name of Asian vanilla, because like the orchid Vanilla It is used to flavor some dishes and / or to complement flavors such as chocolate.

How do you eat it?

To taste it, you have to remove a pair of phalanges with the help of a cutlery and some force. After that, the rest will be easier. Once they are, you just have to chew one down the centerThis will break the fibers, and then suck the nectar it contains.

Yes, It is important that you do not take any that you are not going to eat that same day since it ferments quickly, and in doing so it emits a very unpleasant odor.

Hala tree cultivation

The hala tree is very, very sensitive to cold. It can only grow in a garden all year round if temperatures remain above 18ºC, and if the humidity is high.. In addition, it must be located in a partially shaded place, that is, in an area where there is a lot of light but where the sun does not shine directly, at least not for a long time.

On the other hand, you have to know that there are male and female specimens. Therefore, if we want them to bear fruit, we will have to have one of each planted nearby for pollination to occur. However, once we have obtained seeds, how are they to be sown?

1. The first thing is to prepare a seedling tray (for sale here) that has some alveoli with holes in its base. To do this we will simply have to fill it with specific substrates (for sale here) and water.
2. Afterwards, one or two seeds will be placed in each alveolus, and we will cover them with a little substrate.
3. Then, we will place a seedling tray inside another tray, the latter normal, without holes (for sale here). Every time we see that the substrate is drying, we will pour water into that tray.
4. Finally, we will take them outside, in an area with but not direct light.

If all goes well, the seeds will germinate in about 15 days at 20-25ºC. Once they germinate, We will leave them in the seedbed until roots grow out of the holes. In this way, it will be easy to transplant them into a pot, which we will fill with universal growing substrate (for sale here).

Can you have it as a houseplant?

El Pandanus tectorius It is a plant that is a bit demanding indoors, but that does not mean that it is complicated. As long as we put it in a room where there is a lot of natural light, high humidity (it can be achieved by spraying its leaves with water for example) and we water it two or three times a week during the summer and less the rest of the year, there need be no problems.

Your main enemy inside a home are draftsRegardless of whether they are from the fan, air conditioning, or from a window. These cause the leaves to dry out, that is, they turn brown before their time. For this reason, it is important that in the place where you are there is no device that generates this type of currents.

Did you know the hala fruit?