Ravenea madagascariensis Becc.

A palm. It grows to 20 m high. The trunk can be 15-20 cm across. The leaf crown forms half a circle. The leaves are 2-3.3 m long. They often have a twist along their length. They are on stout light coloured leaf stalks which are 30-60 cm long. The leaflets are 60-100 cm long and can be flat or in a V shape. The fruit are 6 mm across. They are round and orange when ripe.

Moist to rather dry hill forest, on steep slopes or hill crests, occasionally on steep slopes in riverine forest; elevations from 50-1,700 metres. Characteristic of montane forest, occasionally also found at low elevations in coastal regions.

Can be grown by seedlings.