Ravenea lakatra

Botanical Description

Ravenea lakatra is a single-stemmed, evergreen palm tree growing 15 - 30 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 30 - 50cm in diameter, it is topped by a crown of 8 - 10 large leaves that can be up to 3.5 metres long[ 455 Title Flore de Madagascar et des Comores Publication Author Humbert H. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ Publisher Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle; Paris Year 1946 - 1984 ISBN Description Written in French, an excellent flora of the area though it has not been completed. Available for download from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of weaving material. This species has an extremely wide range but at each of the known sites there are only a few individuals. The population is estimated to number fewer than 30 mature trees and is declining. The main threats to this species are habitat loss through clearance for shifting agriculture and logging and harvesting of the leaves to be used in weaving. Excessive harvesting impacts the reproductive output of the species. The plant is classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].