Madagascan tree hits self destruct button: 17-01-2008
A new species of tree has been discovered in Madagascar.
The palm was discovered by accident by Xavier Metz, who runs a cashew plantation on the island. He came across the tree while walking with his family and took photographs which found their way to Dr John Dransfield in Britain.
Unusually, the tree - a giant palm which grows to more than 60 feet high - flowers just once in its lifetime before dying.
"Seeing it was one of the most exciting moments in my entire career. This tree is a new genus and a new species - an evolutionary line not seen in Madagascar before," Dr Dransfield told the Telegraph.
"There are 2,500 species of palm and only a handful flower and die. It is certainly the first self destruct palm we have found on Madagascar."
Visitors to Madagascar, which is located off the south-eastern coast of Africa, will discover a unique mix of plants and animals, many found nowhere else in the world.
Indeed, so diverse is the country that some ecologists have referred to it as the "eighth continent".
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