A 17-year-old plant that will one day grow so big it can be seen on satellite imagery has been planted in the UK.
The palm, known as Tahina spectabilis, is native to the Analalava district – a very small, remote region in north-western Madagascar.
It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and while currently standing at four metres tall, it is capable of growing up to 18 metres in height, with leaves reaching up to five metres in diameter.
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It could take another 30 to 50 years to reach its full size, when it could be picked up by satellite imagery.
It is thought that there are fewer than 40 mature plants growing in the wild and a very small number in cultivation, including in places such as Thailand, Costa Rica, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico.
But this plant has now been given a home at the Eden Project, in Cornwall, reports What’s The Jam.
It can be seen in the Tropical Islands area of the Rainforest Biome, where a special bed has been made to support it.
It was previously grown at the Botanic Garden at Cambridge University but was donated and moved due to its sheer size.
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The interim head of horticulture at the Eden Project, Catherine Cutler, said: “We are extremely proud of the collection of plants we have in the Biome, which sits at over 1,000 species and the eclectic stories they tell.
“As horticulturists we are delighted that the Rainforest Biome is the new home for this magnificent palm, that we can play our part in the conservation of such an endangered species and that we, along with our visitors, can watch, and learn from it, as it grows.”
Luigi Leoni, glasshouse team leader at Cambridge University’s Botanic Garden, said: “It’s really exciting for the Tahina palm to be able to reach its full size at the Eden Project – something that wouldn’t have been possible in our Glasshouses at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.”
