P.utilis has long leathery leaves sharply serrated. Seed pods look like huge pineapples. On Indian Ocean Islands the sap is used as aphrodisiac.
 
Natives of New Guinea employ the fruit of an unidentified species of Pandanus for hallucinogenic purposes, unfortunately little is known of this use. DMT has been isolated from Pandanus nuts growing in New Guinea (Barrau [1958], [1962]).

Eating substantial amounts of the nuts is said to cause an 'outbreak of irrational behavior, known as Karuka madness among local people. The strange thing is that DMT is not active orally unless potentiated with a MAOI, there are two possibilities: the nuts also contain a MAOI of some kind or they contain other psychoactive substances beside DMT.