Pandanaceae, Pandanus fascicularis – Panama

It’s hard to positively ID Pandanus as there are many species. I’ll hazard a guess that it could be Pandanus fascicularis, formerly P. odoratissimus, native to S. Asia (please correct me if I’m wrong). The leaves are used to extract perfume and aromatic oils. I’m not sure if the fruit or nut is edible, although I believe another synonym for this species is P. tectorius, which is known to be edible, along with P. julianettii and P. leram.

Pandanus amaryllifolius is another species, also known as fragrant pandan which, as the name suggests is the only recorded species with fragrant leaves, an ancient cultigen mainly grown in Southeast Asia (from S. India to New Guinea). Wilted leaves of P. amaryllifolius have a nutty aroma, similar to that of Thia jasmine rice. In Thai, Malay, and Indonesian cooking, pandan is used to enhance the flavor of rice dishes, often combined with coconut milk.

Here’s a very informative PDF article on:  The Use of Pandanus Fruit in Micronesia, by CAREY D. MILLER, MARY MURAl, and FLORENCE PEN.