Travellar Palm, Ravenala madagascariensis

The name “traveller palm” has been given because the sheaths of the stems hold rainwater, which supposedly could be used as an emergency drinking supply for needy travellers.

These plants grow to be enormous, with huge leaves sprouting from long stems in a flat, fan-shaped pattern like a peacock s tail. They are actually members of the bird-of-paradise plant family. The traveller’s palm is more closely related to the banana tree family than the palm tree one.