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Sonn., Strelitziaceae |
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Present on Pacific Islands? yes
Primarily a threat at high elevations? yes
Risk assessment results: Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment)
Common name(s): [more details]
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English: traveler's palm, traveler's tree |
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French: arbre à voyageur, ravenale |
Habit: tree
Description: "Palm-like tree, clump forming, to 10 m high or more, developing a distinct trunk with age. Leaves simple, alternate, 20 to 30, two-ranked, forming a fan-like crown, blade paddle-shaped, 1.5-3 x 0.6-1 m on a petiole as long or longer than the blade, surface gray-green with the margins often split and like that of the similar banana (Musa spp.) leaf. Flowers intermittently during the year; flowers several, borne within a single cluster of 7 to 12 large, green, folded, distichous, boat-shaped bracts to 50 cm long. Corolla of five free subequal tepals 15-24 cm long and one shorter tepal, white to yellowish. Fruit an oblong woody capsule to 8 cm long, containing many seeds covered with blue arils" (Whistler, 2000; p. 394-395).
"[T]his striking plant is a simple-stemmed tree with a fan-shaped cluster of leaves at its tip, the trunk to 10 m tall, the leaf sheaths containing water partly from rain and partly excreted by the plant. The leaves have blades as large as 3 x 1 m and petioles to 3 m long. The perianth segments are whitish and the seeds have conspicuous blue arils" (Smith, 1979; p. 180).
Habitat/ecology: "Ravenala madagascariensis is a big problem in Mauritius, especially on mid-altitude (3-600 m) south and west facing slopes in and around the Black River Gorges National Park. In large areas it almost forms monocultures, with little or no native vegetation left" (Dennis Hansen, communication to Aliens listserver).
Propagation: Seed. "I heard somewhere that the reason it is so widespread in Mauritius is because the fruit bat Pteropus niger eats the fruits, and thus spreads the seeds " but the Ravenalas I looked at all had extremely hard fruits that I would think impossible for the Pteropus' to eat. It seems more plausible that the role the fruit bats play in the reproduction is in the pollination" (Dennis Hansen, communication to Aliens listserver).
Native range: Madagascar
Presence:
| Pacific | |||
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Country/Terr./St. & Island group |
Location |
Cited status &
Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction? |
Reference &
Comments |
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Cook Islands
Southern Cook Islands |
Aitutaki Atoll |
introduced
cultivated |
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. Field notes.) |
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Cook Islands
Southern Cook Islands |
Rarotonga Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. Field notes.) |
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Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Santa Cruz Group |
Santa Cruz Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008) |
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Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei Islands |
Pohnpei Island |
introduced
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Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 13) |
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Fiji
Fiji Islands |
Viti Levu Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 180) |
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French Polynesia
Society Islands |
Moorea Island | Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 79) | |
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French Polynesia
Society Islands |
Raiatea (Havai) Island | Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 79) | |
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French Polynesia
Society Islands |
Tahiti Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Welsh, S. L. (1998) (pp. 376-377) |
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Guam
Guam Island |
Guam Island |
introduced
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Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (pp. 110-111) |
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State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands |
Hawaiian Islands |
introduced
cultivated |
Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. (2000) (p. 30) |
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Japan (offshore islands)
Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands |
Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands |
introduced
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Kato, Hidetoshi (2007) |
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Marshall Islands
Ralik Chain |
Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll |
introduced
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Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (pp. 110-111) |
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Marshall Islands
Ralik Chain |
Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll |
introduced
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Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 105)
Not seen on this survey and may no longer be present. |
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New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago |
Île Grande Terre |
introduced
cultivated |
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 104)
Voucher cited: MacKee 38074 |
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Niue
Niue |
Niue Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 257)
Not seen in 2000 or 2004. Voucher cited CHR 169962. |
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Niue
Niue |
Niue Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Yuncker, T. G. (1943) (p. 39) |
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Palau
Palau (main island group) |
Babeldaob Island |
cultivated
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Raulerson, L./Rinehart, A. F./Falanruw, M. C. (1996) |
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Palau
Palau (main island group) |
Koror Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 16)
Specimen at National Museum. |
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Palau
Palau (main island group) |
Palau Islands (main island group) |
introduced
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Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (pp. 110-111) |
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Samoa
Western Samoa Islands |
Upolu Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. Field notes.) |
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Samoa
Western Samoa Islands |
Upolu Island |
Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1979) (voucher ID: BISH 439368)
Taxon name on voucher: Ravenala madagascariensis Sonn. |
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Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands |
Solomon Islands |
introduced
cultivated |
Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 105) |
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Wallis and Futuna
Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands |
Wallis (Uvea) Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 29) |
| Indian Ocean | |||
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Country/Terr./St. & Island group |
Location |
Cited status &
Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction? |
Reference &
Comments |
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Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands)
Christmas Island Group |
Christmas Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 125) |
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La Réunion (France)
La Réunion Island |
La Réunion Island |
introduced
invasive cultivated |
Lavergne, Christophe (2006)
"Cultivé/envahissant" |
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La Réunion (France)
La Réunion Island |
La Réunion Island |
introduced
invasive |
Kueffer, C./Lavergne, C. (2004) (p. 5) |
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Mauritius
Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues) |
Mauritius Island |
introduced
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Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. (2001) |
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Mauritius
Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues) |
Mauritius Island |
introduced
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Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. (1986) (pp. 147-162) |
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Mauritius
Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues) |
Mauritius Island |
introduced
invasive |
Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. (1988) (pp. 187-204) |
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Mauritius
Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues) |
Mauritius Island |
introduced
invasive |
Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. (2004) (p. 6) |
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Mauritius
Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues) |
Rodrigues Island |
introduced
invasive |
Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. (2004) (p. 6) |
Control:
Physical: Hand pull or dig out seedlings and young plants.
Chemical: Cut large trees and treat the stumps with herbicide.
Additional information:
Additional online information about Ravenala madagascariensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).
Information about Ravenala madagascariensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).
Taxonomic information about Ravenala madagascariensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
References:
Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1979. Voucher specimen #BISH 439368 (Cox, P.A. 127).
Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.
Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.
Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. 2001. Plant invaders. Earthscan Publications, Ltd., London. 241 pp.
Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.
Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.
Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.
Kueffer, C./Lavergne, C. 2004. Case studies on the status of invasive woody plant species in the western Indian Ocean. 4. R233;union. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department, Forest Resources Division, Forest Resources Development Service, Working Paper FBS/4-4E. 37 pp.
Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. 2004. Case studies on the status of invasive woody plant species in the western Indian Ocean. 3. Mauritius (islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department, Forest Resources Division, Forest Resources Development Service, Working Paper FBS/4-3E. 35 pp.
Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .
Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. 1986. Exotic species invasion into Mauritius wet forest remnants. Journal of Tropical Ecology 2: 147-162.
Lorence, D./Sussman, R. W. 1988. Diversity, density, and invasion in a Mauritian wet forest. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Garden 25:187-204.
Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Palau. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawaii. 40 pp.
Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawaii. 21 pp.
MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.
Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2007. Rapport de mission sur l'Ile d'Uvea (Wallis & Futuna) du 6 au 17 Novembre 2007: Inventaire preliminaire de la flore vasculaire secondaire [unpublished report]. Délégation à la Recherche, Ministère de l'Education, l'Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche, B.P. 20981 Papeete, Tahiti, Polynésie française. 39 pp.
Raulerson, L./Rinehart, A. F./Falanruw, M. C. 1996. A botanical reconnaissance of the proposed Compact-impact road alignment on Babeldaob Island, Republic of Palau. U. of Guam Herbarium Cont. No. 32. 78 pp.
Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.
Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawaii. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.
Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.
Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.
Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.
Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.
Yuncker, T. G. 1943. The flora of Niue Island. Bishop Mus. Bull. 178. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 126 pp.