Arecaceae FAMILY Critically Endangered

Voanioala gerardii

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree

GrowthSlow

Prefers a warm, moist, well drained position^[1]. This species is thought perhaps to have been the ancestor of the coconut that we know today. Even though the nut only measures about 5cm x 7cm and weighs approximately 100 - 120 grams, the close relationship with the modern coconut, Cocos nucifera , can be observed in the similarities of the arrangement of the inflorescences and in the physical structure of the fruits (nuts)^[1].

Propagation

Seed - difficult to germinate and very slow growing^[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Voanioala+gerardii>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia. — http://www.pacsoa.org.au/ ↩︎Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
[2]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
[3]CITES Prop. 12.60 — http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/12/prop/E12-P60.pdf ↩︎A proposal by CITES to list certain species of palm endemic to Madagascar in Appendix II.
[PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎