Tree of the Week: June 4th, 2024
We are at the Trees Florida Chapter ISA conference this week in Fort Lauderdale and it inspired our Tree of the Week, which is the Traveler’s Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis)! These are a common site in Florida, especially in the south, but they are actually not a palm at all, but spectacular palm-like imposter related to bananas and bird of paradise. They are native to Madagascar, and they grow to be enormous, with huge leaves sprouting from long stems in a flat, fan-shaped pattern like a peacock’s tail. It has been given the name “traveler’s palm” because the sheaths of the stems hold rainwater, which supposedly could be used as an emergency drinking supply for needy travelers!
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