Ravenala madagascariensis
Origin: Madagascar
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: 10
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Traveller's tree is a striking palm-like tree from Madagascar in the bird-of-paradise family (Strelitziaceae). It has large leaves arrayed like a fan, and old specimens can reach 100 feet in height. It's believed to be called "traveller's tree" either because water tends to pool at the base of the leaves, providing safe fresh water for drinking, or because the fan-like crown is reaches east and west, providing a crude compass for travellers. It is endemic to the island nation of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, but it has been brought to tropical places around the world due to its spectacular form.
But it's not just nice to look at: traveller's tree can be quite useful too. The large, wide leaves — which resemble a tattered banana leaf — are frequently used for thatching in Madagascar. The plant's sap can be processed into syrup or sugar. The starchy young fruits are edible. The young leaves and stems, and sometimes more mature leaf tips, are edible when cooked, though bitter. And the starchy and oily seeds are edible themselves, but also are covered in a bright-blue aril that is also edible, if tasteless (but really quite shockingly cobalt blue).
If you live somewhere this plant can grow, make your front yard the talk of the town by planting this extraordinary tree! You won't be disappointed.
Our Madagascar-grown seed was imported by the good folks at Sheffield's Seed in Locke, NY.
GROWING TIPS: Remove bright blue fringe from seeds and nick coat to aid germination. If you're having trouble nicking the seed coat, or the seeds won't imbibe, try submerging in near-boiling water then soaking for 24 hours or more. Seeds can also be treated with sulfuric acid. No stratification required. Seeds should be kept mois and warm. Germination can be slow.
NOTE: Image of the bright blue arils in the pods comes from author M108t and is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The other image of seeds in their arils comes from author Steve Fitzgerald and is shared under the same license. The rest are either in the public domain or (in the case of the last two) were taken by Nate.
