Ravenea musicalis
Beentje
Arecaceae
Common Name:
Plants can grow in slowly flowing water
Photograph by: Anton Sieder
Plants can grow in slowly flowing water
Photograph by: Anton Sieder
Madagascar
Photograph by: John Dransfield
Image credit to Palmweb
Plant growing in native habitat
Photograph by: Henk Beentje
Image credit to Palmweb
Floods are no problem!
Photograph by: John Dransfield
Image credit to Palmweb
Fort Dauphin, Madagascar
Photograph by: John Dransfield
Image credit to Palmweb
Seedlings
Photograph by: Henk Beentje
Image credit to Palmweb
Fruiting plants
Photograph by: Henk Beentje
Image credit to Palmweb
Madagascar
Photograph by: John Dransfield
Image credit to Palmweb
Fruits
Photograph by: Henk Beentje
Image credit to Palmweb
Fort Dauphin, Madagascar
Photograph by: John Dransfield
Image credit to Palmweb
General Information
Ravenea musicalis is a single-stemmed, evergreen palm tree growing up to 8 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 30 - 40cm in diameter, it is topped by a crown of 14 - 16 leaves that can be up to 1.8 metres long.
The trunks are sometimes felled for local use to make canoes.
About 450 trees have been seen in the single known site for this palm. The population is declining. There are a number of threats to this species including habitat clearance along the river banks for agricultural expansion and the plants and their seed are harvested for the horticultural trade. Palms are also sometime felled to make canoes. The plant is classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Africa - southeast Madagascar.
Habitat
Slowly flowing water, from 50 - 150cm deep, in lowland rivers at elevations up to 50 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Properties
Conservation Status | Critically Endangered |
Other Uses Rating | |
Habit | Evergreen Tree |
Height | 6.00 m |
Self-fertile | No |
Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
The plant grows in water that can be up to 2.5 metres deep.
Seedlings start their lives as submerged aquatics with flaccid foliage; once the stem has emerged, leaves become rigid[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[
455- Title
- Flore de Madagascar et des Comores
- Publication
-
- Author
- Humbert H.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle; Paris
- Year
- 1946 - 1984
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Written in French, an excellent flora of the area though it has not been completed. Available for download from the Internet.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The trunks are sometimes felled and used to make canoes[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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