MADAMAGAZINE Your Magazine about Madagascar
Since 2021, it has been known that there is not just one, but six different species of the Tree of Travelers. But how do they differ? This small identification guide should help to classify them. A complete article about the different Ravenalas and their occurrence can be found here: The Tree of Travelers. Photos will be added soon, until then you can find several differentiation photos in this article.
| Species | Height | Leaf color | Leaf number | Petiole color | Leaf sheath | Distribution |
| R. agatheae | 6-10 m | dark green | 9-22 | tricolor: white, green, red | > 10 mm, papyrus-like dry, smooth | northwest, west |
| R. blancii | 10-15 m | dark green | 9-16 | green | uneven, “pitted” appearance | highlands |
| R. grandis | 20-30 m | bright green | 15-30 | dark green, yellowish | < 10 mm, smooth, partly torn | highlands |
| R. hladikormum | 10-15 m | dark green | 9-18 | greenish-yellow | > 10 mm, papyrus-like, finely toothed with whitish stripe underneath | highlands |
| R. madagascariensis | 6-12 m | bright grün | 14-26 | yellowish-green | < 10 mm, not dry, smooth, partly torn | entire east coast |
| R. menahirana | 6-10 m | dark green | 12-18 | dark red | > 10 mm, dark red or brown, dry, forming a coarse, large zigzag line |
northeast coast from Mahavelona to Mananara |
