How do spathes help attract pollinators to Pandanus flowers?

While the genus Pandanus is primarily thought to be wind-pollinated, the presence of white to pink spathes enclosing the inflorescences suggests that insects or animals also play a role in pollination. These spathes serve to enclose the inflorescences, and some species, such as P. odoratissimus, are known to emit an odor that likely helps attract these pollinators.1

It is important to note that the specific mechanisms by which these spathes function in Pandanus are not as extensively documented as the "catch and release" entrapment strategies seen in other plants, such as the cuckoopint, where a spathe uses hairlike structures to temporarily trap insects to ensure pollination. In the case of Pandanus, the spathes and associated odors are considered indicators that biotic pollination occurs to some degree, supplementing wind pollination.21