Ravenea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Arecales Family: Arecaceae Subfamily: Ceroxyloideae Genus: Ravenea C.D.Bouché
Species
See text Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Liliopsida is the botanical name for a class. ... Family Arecaceae Arecales is the botanical order which includes only the palm family, Arecaceae. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (sometimes known by the names Palmae or Palmaceae, although the latter name is taxonomically invalid. ...

Ravenea (Majesty Palm) is a genus of 17 species of palms, all endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros. Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (sometimes known by the names Palmae or Palmaceae, although the latter name is taxonomically invalid. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ...

They are small to large palms, with solitary, robust grey stems, swollen at base and gradually tapering upward. The species vary greatly in size, with R. hildebrandtii and R. nana only reaching 4 m, while R. robustior and R. sambiranensis both reach 30 m. The leaves are up to 2-5 m long, pinnately compound, reduplicate, erect at first then arching, twisted near the apex; with numerous crowded narrow ribbed leaflets. The inflorescence is short, borne among the leaves; the fruit is a red drupe. “Foliage” redirects here. ... Red clover inflorescence (spike) An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers on a branch of a plant. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... The peach is a typical drupe (stone fruit) In botany, a drupe is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp or skin and mesocarp or flesh) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. ...

Species

Several of the species are endangered, R. moorei critically so, with only two specimens known, these last seen in 1993 (IUCN report). R. louvelii is little better off, with under 25 plants known (IUCN report). The critically endangered Siberian Tiger, a rare subspecies of tiger. ...

Cultivation and uses

Ravenea rivularis (Majesty Palm) is widely cultivated in subtropical regions. It is an adaptable palm that looks somewhat similar to the ever popular Queen palm. It is a very large palm with a large, untidy crown. It has symmetrical leaves and develops an attractive swollen base of the trunk. Majesty palm prefer full sun and plenty of water to ensure rapid growth. It is tolerant of different soil types. Propagation is by seeds, which germinate in 2-3 months.

References

• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Ravenea
• RBG Kew: Ravenea
• PACSOA: Ravenea