Ravenala Madagascariensis, Traveller’s Palm

Travellers palms are not palms but related to the banana. They hold a large reserve of water in the leaf bases from which travellers could drink, but it would be a mighty desperate soul to partake of insect and debris laden cocktail contained in this travellers “Oasis”. The distinctive flat fan, formed by leafs and leaf bases makes the travelers palm a popular and unique ornamental.

Ravenala madagascariensisor Traveller’s palm is Large, erect tree with an unbranched, palm-like trunk topped by a fan-shaped, crown of 2-ranked, paddle-shaped, leathery, lustrous, rich green leaves. The oblong leaf-blades, 2-4m long, are borne on thick, grooved stalks, of about the same length, closely overlapping at the bases. On mature plants, tiny, narrow white flowers, each with 6 tepals, emerge from pointed, boat-shaped, greenish white spathes, a few at a time, in summer; they are followed by fruit capsules that contain seeds with bright blue arils.