Pandanus conoideus
Pandanus conoideus is a plant in the Pandanus family from New Guinea. Its fruit is eaten in Papua New Guinea and Papua, Indonesia. The fruit has several names: marita (in Papua New Guinea local language), kuansu (in Papua province, especially Wamena natives), or buah merah ("red fruit", in Indonesian). The fruit is typically prepared by splitting it, wrapping it in leaves, and cooking it in an earth oven,[1] making it a traditional delicacy.
| Pandanus conoideus | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Pandanales |
| Family: | Pandanaceae |
| Genus: | Pandanus |
| Species: | P. conoideus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pandanus conoideus | |
There are around 30 cultivars of pandanus conoideus, but only four variants have high economy values in West Papua: merah panjang (long red), merah pandek (short red), cokelot (brown), and kummiming (yellow). The variant used as medicine is merah panjang. The size is around 100 cm in length, 18 cm in diameter length, and 7.5 kg in weight. The fruit has a blunt edge and cylindrical shape.
Fruits of the pandanus family have specific characteristics that distinguish them from other fruits, including their very concentrated red color, indicating that the fruits are rich in beta carotene.
In Papua New Guinea, the fruit is made into a red sauce out of it which is called marita sauce. Marita sauce is a ketchup-like substance which is used to flavor food.