I’m traveling today, so for GBFF, I want to share some photos that I’ve taken in the last few months of our two Ravenalas madagascariensis or traveler’s palms.
The traveler’s palm is not a true palm, but the sole member of its genus, which is part of the family Strelitziaceae, known for its birds-of-paradise.
Its name derives from a tendency of its fans to grow in an east-west line (ours don’t) and because its leaf folds, flower bracts, and hollow leaf bases can contain almost a quart of water (almost a liter).
When we lived in Madagascar, we were told that if you drank from the traveler’s palm, you would always return to that country.
The plant likes sun, but can tolerate part shade. It thrives in good moist soil in (U.S.) zones 10 and 11. Its average height is about 23′ (7 m.).
For more information, click here.
Thanks to Pam at Digging for hosting Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Follow-Up today. Click the link to see what’s growing in other G.B.’s gardens this month.
enclos*ure 
I have a bit of a crush on Traveller’s Palm. I love how it looks before it develops a trunk — almost like a fan shaped fence. When the trunk develops, I start to lose interest. But then, those flowers are spectacular.
[…] some acacia tree leaves, and lemongrass. They may have also pulled strips off the leaves of the traveler’s palms and the […]