traveler’s tree

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Traveler's tree (Ravenala madagascariensis)

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traveler’s tree

plant

Also known as: Ravenala madagascariensis

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Also called:: traveler’s palm

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traveler’s tree, (Ravenala madagascariensis), plant of the family Strelitziaceae, so named because the water it accumulates in its leaf bases has been used in emergencies for drinking. The fan of leaves also tends to grow roughly on an east-west line, providing a crude compass for travelers. This, the only Ravenala species, is native in Madagascar and cultivated around the world.

The trunk resembles that of a palm tree and attains a height of more than 8 metres (26 feet). At the top of the tree are large banana-like leaves, with long pale petioles (leaf stalks), that are arranged in a single plane to give a fanlike appearance. The leaves are 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 feet) long, and each leaf base, shaped like a huge cup, can hold about 1 litre (about a quart) of rainwater. The large flower clusters contain unusual white blossoms surrounded by leaflike bracts, similar in appearance to the related bird-of-paradise flower (Strelitzia reginae). The seeds are light blue in colour.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.