The traveller's palm is the most dramatic single plant you can put in a warm Australian garden. A mature specimen throws its leaves in one flat plane, producing an enormous green fan five or six metres across on a palm-like trunk. It is also not a palm, it gets far bigger than most people expect, and it is planted in courtyards across Brisbane every year by gardeners who will be removing it in a decade.
Quick facts
| Detail | What to expect in Australia |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Ravenala madagascariensis |
| Family | Strelitziaceae - related to bird of paradise, not palms |
| Mature size | 10-15 m tall, fan 5-6 m across |
| Position | Full sun, sheltered from strong wind |
| Soil | Rich, moist, free draining |
| Water | Plenty. Not a drought-tolerant plant |
| Frost | Very tender. Damaged below about 5°C |
| Habit | Suckers to form a clump over time |
| Best climates | Darwin, tropical Queensland, Brisbane, northern NSW |
It is not a palm
Despite the name and the trunk, Ravenala madagascariensis belongs to the Strelitziaceae - the same family as the bird of paradise. That matters practically, because it behaves like a giant strelitzia rather than a palm. It suckers from the base to form a clump, its leaves tear along the ribs in wind exactly as a banana leaf does, and it wants far more water than a typical palm.
The common name comes from the water that collects in the leaf bases, which travellers were said to have drunk in its native Madagascar. Whether that ever happened routinely is debatable, but water does genuinely pool there.
The size problem
This is the single most important thing to get right. A traveller's palm in a 300 mm pot looks like a manageable feature plant. In Brisbane it will reach ten metres or more, with a fan five to six metres wide, and it will sucker into a multi-stemmed clump considerably wider than that.
It needs an open position with real room - a large lawn, a resort-scale entry, a wide garden bed with nothing behind it. It is a poor choice for a courtyard, a narrow side garden, or anywhere within a few metres of a roof, gutters or powerlines.
The better choice for most gardens
If you want the same look at a manageable size, plant Strelitzia nicolai instead. It gives a very similar bold paddle-leaved silhouette, reaches five to six metres rather than fifteen, tolerates a bit more cold, and suits a normal suburban garden. Most people who admire a traveller's palm actually want a nicolai.
| Traveller's palm | Strelitzia nicolai | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 10-15 m | 5-6 m |
| Leaf arrangement | Flat fan, one plane | Looser, more upright |
| Cold tolerance | Very tender | Takes light frost when established |
| Suits a suburban block | Rarely | Yes |
Where it grows in Australia
- Darwin and tropical Queensland - ideal. Fastest growth and the largest specimens.
- Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts - grows well in a warm sheltered position with good water.
- Northern NSW - workable in frost-free coastal gardens.
- Sydney - marginal. Cold snaps mark the foliage and growth is slow.
- Perth - possible in a warm sheltered spot with generous irrigation, though the dry heat is not its preference.
- Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra - no. It is damaged below about 5°C and will not survive a southern winter outdoors.
How to plant
- Plant in spring or early summer so it establishes through the warm wet months.
- Choose full sun for the strongest growth and the most symmetrical fan.
- Shelter from wind is essential. Exposed plants shred to tatters and never look good. Site it where buildings or other planting break the wind.
- Enrich the soil heavily with compost and manure. This is a hungry, thirsty plant from a high-rainfall climate.
- Allow six metres of clearance for the fan, and keep it away from roofs, gutters and powerlines.
- Mulch thickly and water deeply through establishment.
Orientation matters more here than with most plants. Because the leaves sit in a single plane, the fan looks spectacular from one direction and nearly invisible edge-on. Work out where you will be viewing it from and plant accordingly.
Ongoing care
Watering
Generously and consistently. Traveller's palm comes from a wet tropical climate and never becomes genuinely drought tolerant. In a dry spell it will survive but the leaves brown and the plant looks poor. A Brisbane summer's rain usually covers it; a Perth summer will not.
Feeding
Feed in early spring and again in midsummer with a general-purpose or palm fertiliser. Fast growth needs fuel, and underfed plants produce smaller leaves and a thinner fan.
Managing suckers
It will sucker from the base. Left alone this makes an impressive multi-stemmed clump, which is how it looks best in a large landscape. In a smaller space, remove suckers as they appear to keep a single clean trunk - it is easier to do annually than to correct later.
Tidying
Remove old, brown and badly shredded leaves at the base of the stalk. Do not cut into the growing point at the top of the trunk; like a palm, that point does not regenerate.
Common problems and fixes
- Shredded, tattered leaves is wind damage and by far the most common complaint. It is cosmetic but permanent on affected leaves. The fix is shelter, not care.
- Brown leaf edges and tips means insufficient water, dry air or salty irrigation water.
- Blackened collapsed foliage after cold is frost damage. Below about 5°C it suffers badly, and a hard frost can kill it.
- Yellowing older leaves is generally hunger. Feed in spring and midsummer.
- Slow growth or small leaves usually means too little water, too little food, or too much shade.
- Clump spreading further than expected is normal suckering. Remove unwanted suckers early each year.
Frequently asked questions
Is the traveller's palm actually a palm?
No. Ravenala madagascariensis belongs to the Strelitziaceae, the bird of paradise family. It suckers from the base and its leaves tear in wind like a banana's, which are both behaviours you would not see in a true palm.
How big does a traveller's palm get in Australia?
Ten to fifteen metres tall in Brisbane and further north, with a fan five to six metres across, plus suckers that widen the clump beyond that. It is far too large for a typical courtyard or side garden.
What is a smaller alternative?
Strelitzia nicolai, the giant white bird of paradise. It gives a similar bold tropical silhouette at five to six metres instead of fifteen, tolerates slightly more cold, and fits a normal suburban block.
Will a traveller's palm grow in Sydney or Melbourne?
Sydney is marginal - it grows slowly and cold snaps mark the leaves. Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra are too cold; the plant is damaged below about 5°C. It is a Brisbane-and-north plant in practice.
Why are the leaves torn and shredded?
Wind. The large leaves split along their ribs in exposed positions, exactly as banana leaves do. Damaged leaves never recover, so the answer is a sheltered site rather than any treatment.
Does it really hold drinkable water?
Water does collect in the leaf bases, which is where the common name comes from. Whether travellers in Madagascar genuinely relied on it is disputed, and it is not something to count on - the water is usually full of debris and insects.
Ready to plant?
We grow traveller's palm and the strelitzia range for gardens of every size. Browse our palms, ferns and tropical collection, or tropical garden plants.
Choosing between them? See growing Strelitzia nicolai and designing a tropical garden.
