ArborNote’s Tree of the Week was chosen by our marketing wiz, Tom. He picked the Traveler’s palm  (Ravenala madagascariensis) as he has always wanted to go to their native habitat, Madagascar. 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. Grows up to 30 to 50 feet tall (with some rare varieties reaching even higher). It features a palm-like, unbranched woody trunk topped with massive, banana-like leaves arranged in a flat, single-plane fan. It produces large, creamy-white flowers clustered in green, boat-shaped bracts and woody seed capsules filled with striking, bright blue seeds. In Madagascar, the plant co-evolved with ruffed lemurs, which act as primary pollinators attracted to its nectar and help disperse those blue seeds!