The Travelers Palm

Ravenala madagascariensis, commonly known as Traveller's Tree or Traveller's Palm, is a species of plant from Madagascar. It is not a true palm (family Arecaceae) but a member of the bird-of-paradise family, Strelitziaceae. Ravenala madagascariensis is the sole member of its genus, and is closely related to the southern African genus Strelitzia and the South American genusPhenakospermum. Some older classifications include these genera in the banana family (Musaceae).

It has been given the name "traveller's palm" because the sheaths of the stems hold rainwater, which can be used as an emergency drinking supply, specially for the traveller (its bangladeshi common & local name is 'pantho padop')^[1], and also because the fan tends to grow in an east-west line, providing a crude compass.^[2] The enormous paddle-shaped leaves are borne on long petioles, in a distinctive fan shape aligned in a single plane. The large white flowers are structurally similar to those of its relatives, the bird-of-paradise flowers Strelitzia reginae and Strelitzia nicolai, but are less attractive. In tropical and subtropical regions, the plant is widely cultivated for its distinctive habit and foliage.

Ruffed lemurs are a known pollinator of this plant, and given the size and structure of the inflorescences, as well as the lemur's selectivity, method of feeding, and long muzzle, this relationship is thought to have co-evolved.^[3]

Foliage

The traveller's palm has paddle-shaped leaves which are lined symmetrically on a plane and this symmetry gives it a fan-like shape. The colour of the palm varies slightly from the tip of the leaves which are green, to the end of the leaf stem which is yellow.

Trunk

It has a trunk which develops as it matures. During its early years its trunk is covered by the leaf bases, but as it grows older, it progressively loses the lowest or oldest leaves and reveals a sturdy grey trunk.