Ravenea

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Arecales

Familia: Arecaceae
Subfamilia: Ceroxyloideae
Tribus: Ceroxyleae
Genus: Ravenea
Species: R. albicans – R. beentjei – R. declivium – R. delicatula – R. dransfieldii – R. glauca – R. hildebrandtii – R. hypoleuca – R. julietiae – R. krociana – R. lakatra – R. latisecta – R. louvelii – R. madagascariensis – R. moorei – R. musicalis – R. nana – R. rivularis – R. robustior – R. sambiranensis – R. xerophila
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Ravenea in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 14. Reference page.

Name

Ravenea H.Wendl. ex C.D.Bouché, (1878).
Synonyms

Homotypic
Ranevea L.H.Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort.: 1497 (1902), nom. illeg.
Heterotypic
Louvelia Jum. & H.Perrier, Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. 155: 411 (1912).

References

Wendland, H., 1878. Monatsschr. Vereines Beförd. Gartenbaues Königl. Preuss. Staaten 21: 324

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Ravenea in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 14. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Ravenea. Published online. Accessed: Dec. 14 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Ravenea in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 14.
Tropicos.org 2018. Ravenea. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 14.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Ravenea in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.

Vernacular names
English: Majesty Palms
中文: 溪棕屬

Ravenea is a genus of 20 known species of palms, all native to Madagascar and the Comoros.[1][2]

They are small to large, dioecious palms, with solitary, robust grey stems, swollen at base and gradually tapering upward. The species vary greatly in size, with R. hildebrandtii and R. nana only reaching 4 m, while R. robustior and R. sambiranensis both reach 30 m. The leaves are up to 2–5 m long, pinnately compound, reduplicate, erect at first then arching, twisted near the apex; with numerous crowded narrow ribbed leaflets. The inflorescence is short, borne among the leaves; the fruit is a red drupe.[3] One particular species, Ravenea rivularis, is commonly cultivated as a houseplant and grown indoors all over the world. However, it is actually considered a vulnerable species in its wild habitat with fewer than 900 trees growing naturally.
Species

Image	Scientific name	Conservation Status	Distribution
	Ravenea albicans (Jum.) Beentje	Endangered	northeast Madagascar
	Ravenea beentjei Rakotoarin. & J.Dransf	Critically endangered	Vondrozo, Madagascar
	Ravenea delicatula Rakotoarin.	Critically endangered	northwest Madagascar
	Ravenea dransfieldii Beentje	Endangered	Madagascar.
	Ravenea glauca Jum. & H.Perrier	Vulnerable species	Madagascar.
	Ravenea hildebrandtii H.Wendl. ex Bouché	Endangered	Comoros.
	Ravenea hypoleuca Rakotoarin. & J.Dransf.	Critically endangered	southeast Madagascar
	Ravenea julietiae Beentje	Endangered	Madagascar.
	Ravenea krociana Beentje	Endangered	Madagascar.
	Ravenea lakatra (Jum.) Beentje	Critically endangered	Madagascar.
	Ravenea latisecta Jum.	Critically endangered	eastern central Madagascar.
	Ravenea louvelii Beentje	Critically endangered	Madagascar
	Ravenea madagascariensis Becc.	Least concern	Madagascar.
	Ravenea moorei J.Dransf. & N.W.Uhl	Critically endangered	Comoros.
	Ravenea musicalis Beentje	Critically endangered	Madagascar
	Ravenea nana Beentje	Endangered	Madagascar
	Ravenea rivularis Jum. & H.Perrier	Critically endangered	Madagascar
	Ravenea robustior Jum. & H.Perrier	Near threatened	Madagascar
	Ravenea sambiranensis Jum. & H.Perrier	Least concern	Madagascar
	Ravenea xerophila Jum.	Vulnerable species	Madagascar

Most of the species are endangered. Species such as R. moorei are critically so, with only two specimens known, last seen in 1993 (IUCN report). R. louvelii is little better off, with fewer than 25 plants known (IUCN report). Overall, less than 50 trees of several species are still alive. Historical data indicates that populations are still decreasing for most, except for Ravenea sambiranesis and Ravenea madagascariensis. The species listed as critically endangered will most likely become extinct this century unless measures are taken to cultivate new trees and protect their habitats from being disrupted by deforestation and water pollution. Even if as few as a dozen trees of each species were planted on ideal, protected land where they could reproduce, it would give each species a much better chance for survival.
Cultivation and uses

Ravenea rivularis (majesty palm) is widely cultivated in subtropical regions, and it is sold commercially as a houseplant.[4] It is an adaptable palm that looks somewhat similar to the ever-popular Queen palm. It is a very large palm with a large, untidy crown. It has symmetrical leaves and develops an attractive swollen base of the trunk. Majesty palms prefer full sun, plenty of water, and high humidity to ensure healthy growth. It is tolerant of different soil types. Propagation is by seeds, which germinate in 2–3 months.
Pinnate leaves characteristic to Ravenea
References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Beentje, H. J. (1994). "A Monograph of Ravenea (Palmae: Ceroxyloideae)". Kew Bulletin. 49 (4): 623–671. doi:10.2307/4118064. JSTOR 4118064.
Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Phillipson, P. 2017. Ravenea rivularis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T38677A67737451. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T38677A67737451.en. Downloaded on 10 April 2018.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Ravenea
RBG Kew: Ravenea
PACSOA: Ravenea