Scientists study seeds from Madagascar
Video
Rare seeds arrive at Wakehurst Place (Video by B.Churcher & B.Morris)
Published Date:
26 February 2008
By Becky Churcher
The seeds of a new species of palm tree which flowers spectacularly once in its long life and then dies, have arrived at Wakehurst Place, Ardingly.
Botanists at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew announced the discovery of Tahina spectabilis, made in Madagascar, in January this year.
The chance finding of the mystery palm which towers more than 60-feet high has astonished botanists.
Tahina spectabilis has a bizarre life cycle. It is thought it grows for up to 50 years, flowers spectacularly once in its lifetime and then dies. This means there may not be an opportunity to harvest more seeds from the 100 or so individuals that exist on the island for many years to come.
Tahina spectabilis is Madagascar's most massive palm tree and can even be spotted on Google Earth. It stands 50 feet above the ground and has fan-shaped leaves that, at 15 feet in diameter, rank among the largest of any flowering plant.
Around 1,000 grape-sized seeds, harvested by local villagers in collaboration with the Kew team, arrived at the Millennium Seed Bank last week.
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Last Updated:
29 February 2008 2:07 PM
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Source:
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Location:
Mid Sussex
