Ravenala madagascariensis, commonly known as
traveller's tree or
traveller's palm, is a species of plant from
Madagascar. It is not a true palm (family
Arecaceae) but a member of a monocotyledonous flowering plant family,
Strelitziaceae.
Ravenala madagascariensis is the sole member of the genus
Ravenala, and is closely related to the southern
African genus
Strelitzia and the
South American genus
Phenakospermum. Some older classifications include these genera in the
banana family (
Musaceae). Although it is usually considered to be a single species, four different forms have been distinguished.
