Why did the author call the trees travelers.  Ravenala Madagascar is an amazing plant, a national symbol, a traveler tree that collects water in its leaves. See what the "Tree of Travelers" is in other dictionaries

The amazing plants of the island of Madagascar are no less interesting than its landscapes. The tropical humid climate, the organization of nature reserves, the regulation of the flow of tourists - all these factors favor the preservation of the nature of Madagascar.

And, although, in the recent past, part of the forests was cut down, the government caught on in time, and now measures to preserve the unique vegetation are giving the first results.

"Traveler Tree" - Madagascar miracle

Ravenala is perhaps the most famous tree of all that grows on the island. It resembles a banana, but, unlike it, has a real trunk. Huge leaves radiate from its top. In those places where the cuttings of large leaves are connected to the trunk, there are special "pockets" that contain up to several liters of cool water.

Thirsty travelers are always happy to meet this amazing tree, which helps them quench their thirst. Such a "living well" among the sultry roads. Therefore, the Madagascar Ravenala was called the "tree of travelers."

Lianas - amazing plants of the island

Wonders of nature are in all corners of the island. Lianas are one of them. These miracle plants grow on the hot ground of several species at once.

Many of them are used by local residents for economic purposes. Ropes, baskets and rugs made from stems are very durable and serve people for a long time.

The liana entada lends its huge pods to the inhabitants of the island for roofing their huts. Why not take advantage of what nature has to offer?

After all, these pods are huge: the length is almost 2 meters, and the width is more than 1.5 meters! If you split 4-5 pods in half, then building a roof out of them will not be difficult!

Liana stephanotis is a plant that has pale white beautiful flowers. Five crown-shaped petals adorn the forests of Madagascar everywhere.

Interesting fact. The creepers of Madagascar are the only plants on the island that are not touched by nimble termites.

The trees of Madagascar "in the service" of man

The evergreen dense forests of the island are home to many trees, the wood of which is used in the manufacture of furniture. Valuable breeds, for example, the majestic rosewood, has expensive raw materials of black, pink, lilac colors.

There are also enough plants that give valuable rubber in these places. The resin of the drip tree provides material for the manufacture of varnish.

Uvirandra - decoration of Madagascar reservoirs

Aponogeton Madagascar or Uvirandra grows in the fresh waters of the island. In the natural environment is under the threat of extinction.
Aquarists around the world use this plant for landscaping aquariums. It is very beautiful.

Tuberous rhizomes are edible. Oblong leaves reach a length of more than half a meter. Leaves in the water are arranged horizontally.
The flower sways in the wind on a long stem (up to 1 meter in length). In the rivers of Madagascar, flowers rise almost 20 cm above the water.

Plants of the island of Madagascar - for the most part - are endemic, that is, they are no longer found anywhere in the world. Acquaintance with the wonderful natural world of Madagascar will enrich the idea of ​​how diverse and unique the plants of our planet are.

Plants of Madagascar island photo

Traveler Tree (Ravenala madagascariensis)

tree plant of the banana family. Trunk height up to 10 m; the leaves are large, torn to the midrib into lobes, fan-shaped. The long leaf sheaths store water, which is sometimes used for drinking (hence the name). Flowers collected in spike-shaped inflorescences are pollinated by birds. The fruit is a berry, similar in shape to a cucumber. Endemic to the islands of Madagascar and Reunion.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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The Madagascar coast cannot be confused with another land that appeared on the horizon: giant fans of the Ravenals, like reliable green guards, lined up in a row towards the ocean winds.

Ravenala is mistakenly called a palm tree, because the plant is included in the Strelitzia family and is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful on the planet.

Ravenala has many synonyms, the most famous of which is the traveler's tree or the traveler's palm. Such popular names are explained by the fact that sedimentary moisture is collected in long sheaths of leaves, shaped like grooves, and bracts, the total volume of which sometimes reaches 25 liters. Presumably, the traveler could quench his thirst with this water. However, in fact, this situation is completely doubtful - it is dangerous to use this water without purification, many microorganisms, sometimes amphibians, accumulate in it, and the smell can be extremely unpleasant.

There is another version, no less plausible - the Ravenala fan is always located strictly in the east-west direction, that is, the plant could help travelers navigate the terrain.

Other popular names are associated with the appearance - a tree-fan - and the ability to collect water in the axils of leaf plates - a tree-well. The official name, translated from the Malagasy language, is completely simple - “forest leaves”.

Ravenala is distributed, except for Madagascar, on the neighboring islands of Reunion and Mauritius. In South America, a phenacospermum similar to Ravenal grows, previously tree-like shrubs belonged to the same genus. In many old botanical reference books, both plants were included in the Banana family. Now Ravenala is a monotypic genus, consisting of only one species.

Species and subspecies of equals

Ravenala Madagascar- outwardly, the plant looks very colorful and resembles a tree with its whole appearance. However, in botanical descriptions it is positioned as a herbaceous shrub growing in one trunk, which is poorly developed in young equals, and the foliage stretches straight from the root collar. Huge, oval-elongated leaf blades on strong petioles, similar to bananas, reach 3 m in length and up to half a meter in width. With age, a trunk is formed, growing up to 10-15 m high, from which petioles with 20-30 leaves are attached oppositely like a fan. Inflorescence-brush up to 30 cm long, consisting of small creamy-white flowers, rich in nectar, which are enjoyed almost throughout the year by nectary birds, pollinators of Ravenal, and even lemurs. After flowering, fruits appear - brownish elongated boxes resembling pointed cucumbers in shape, in which seeds are densely packed in several rows in elegant bright blue powder puffs.

Scientists conducting research on an entire forest of equals in the hilly eastern part of Madagascar came to the conclusion that there are 4 subspecies or varieties of plants that may deserve to be classified as separate species.

• Hirana, or menahirana - translated from the local dialect as "red fringe". Indeed, the edges of the petioles seem to be sheathed with tattered reddish lace.
• Bemavo- the subspecies is large in size. The name translates as "a lot of gray", obviously, meaning a gray coating that covers the leaf petioles at the base with a thin film.
• Horonorona- showing a little imagination, the name of the subspecies can be translated as "tousled turf". Plants show the ability to release many new stems from one rhizome, forming a numerous curtain with leaves tattered to shreds from gusts of wind.
• Menafalaka- differs in the color of the petioles - brick-orange, from a distance it seems as if the plant is dressed up in a terracotta dress. Rarely found in separate plantations, more often grows in the thick of the so-called equal forest.

Care and cultivation of equals at home

It is advisable to grow Ravenala only in spacious rooms with high ceilings. The plant is unlikely to be suitable for standard apartment conditions, rather for greenhouses or greenhouses.

The container for planting must be chosen stable and with a large diameter. Exot grows in nutritious clay soils rich in humus, well-moistened, but also drained. Possible composition of the soil mixture: humus, leaf or sod land, peat and coarse sand, taken in equal parts. Drainage at the bottom is required.

Adult Ravenals can withstand bright sunlight quite well, but the leaves of young plants get burned under the scorching sun.

The temperature regime is high, even in winter the thermometer in the room where the equal is growing should not fall below 15 degrees, critical - 10 degrees of heat.

In summer, the plant is watered abundantly, in winter watering is reduced - fleshy roots are able to accumulate moisture for the future. Plants are fertilized 1-2 times a month with complex fertilizers for decorative leafy indoor flowers or for palm trees.

Ravenal breeding

More often than other methods for reproduction, equals are used by seed. Planting material is soaked for 1-2 days in warm water, having previously been freed from aryllus - bright blue puffs, then sown to a depth of 2-2.5 cm in a substrate of leafy soil, sand and peat, composed in equal proportions. Containers with crops are kept warm - not lower than 20 degrees, optimally 25-30 degrees above zero.

Seedlings do not appear soon - from 1 to 4 months, sometimes up to 6-9. The grown seedlings are planted in separate pots very carefully - the fleshy roots are fragile and break easily.

During transplantation, Ravenala is propagated vegetatively: the basal processes are carefully separated and planted in separate flower containers. If in the collection of domestic flowers the Ravenala of the Horonorona subspecies is grown, then it is easy to propagate it by dividing the rhizome at the time of transplantation, dividing it into parts according to the number of plants in the curtain and sprinkling cuts with crushed coal.

Diseases and pests

Many sources mention the susceptibility of the equal to diseases and pests. Young plants suffer more: as a result of a violation of the irrigation regime, the edges of their leaf plates dry out and twist, and they easily get burned from exposure to direct sunlight.

The root system after waterlogging is often affected by putrefactive fungi.

Among insect pests on specimens grown at home, scale insects, spider mites, and mealybugs were observed.

Usage

Ravenal trunks cut in half and powerful petioles are used in Madagascar in construction and for space heating. The leaves serve as roofing material for the roofs of the houses of the local population. The young leaves are used as food, and the starchy seeds are ground into flour.

The plant has become widespread in ornamental horticulture in countries with a tropical climate. Luxurious equal fans are found in many parks, and in Madagascar the traveler tree is the national symbol of the state, and its image can even be found on the planes of local airlines.

Traveler Tree(Ravenala madagascariensis), a tree plant in the banana family. Trunk height up to 10 m; the leaves are large, torn to the midrib into lobes, fan-shaped. The long leaf sheaths store water, which is sometimes used for drinking (hence the name). Flowers collected in spike-shaped inflorescences are pollinated by birds. The fruit is a berry, similar in shape to a cucumber. Endemic to the islands of Madagascar and Reunion.

ill. to Art. Traveler tree.

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Tree seeds are great travelers. They even have special devices to travel. For example, an ash seed has a wing, and a birch seed even has two. Thanks to these wings, the wind carries them over long distances. Poplar seeds are also well adapted to travel - they are surrounded by light cotton wool, and willow seeds are attached to small parachutes. It doesn't cost anything to carry them to the wind.

Strong wind. True, he cannot tolerate oak seeds - acorns, but he can tolerate heavy maple seeds with large lionfish.

At dusk, I went to the edge of the forest. The trees stood still. Forever chained to one place. And yet they are travelers. I know that they sent out millions and millions of their messengers in different directions. Winged messengers are flying in order to sit down somewhere and grow into quiet and slender birch trees, fluffy Christmas trees, shy aspens. Future trees fly in the wind. Happy journey! Favorable wind!

• . Which tree seeds are the heaviest, lightest, thickest, most elegant?
• . What adaptations do the seeds of different trees have for flight? Draw the seeds of different trees and their adaptations.
• . Why are different adaptations needed for certain seeds?
• . If you could turn into a seed of any tree for one day, what seed would you turn into and why?
• . The seeds of which trees have the easiest or, conversely, the most difficult flight?
• . Write a story about three brave traveler seeds: birch, poplar and spruce.
• . Are there great travelers among flowers, herbs, mushrooms, berries, birds and animals? Write stories about their travels.