''Ravenea rivularis'', the majestic palm, or majesty palm, is a species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

. They generally grow to 10 to 12 feet tall and are often marketed in stores as a "houseplant" in a pot, in its natural state, the majesty palm may sometimes grow to tall. The palm has upward-arching leaves divided into long, thin fingers. It is native to

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

; however, it is believed only about 900 plants are currently alive in the wild according to an assessment conducted in 2010. The species grows in several regions of

, but because those regions are totally surrounded and separated by desert, the natural spread of the species is limited. Despite its fragility as a species in the wild, it has become a very popular houseplant due to its beautiful leaves and slow-growing nature. AdultMajestyPalmFlorida

''Ravenea rivularis'' grows in somewhat isolated humid habitats that are found in the otherwise dry,

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

of southwest

. Often, they grow huddled along the edges of riverbanks and natural lagoons, but also grow in shallow swamps where they receive ample water and humidity year-round. Due to its love for warm, moist air which can be difficult to provide consistently in most homes, the most common problem affecting those kept as houseplants is browning leaf tips. To replicate its natural growing conditions, plants should be misted with warm water daily or kept near a humidifier. It should also be watered more frequently than average houseplants especially in the spring and summer. That being said, fast-draining soil is preferable, such as soil labeled for

cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

, in a well-draining container to allow water to seep through the root system and out of the pot. Although they can also suffer from lack of sunlight, ''Ravenea rivularis'' is much more sensitive to lack of water and humidity. Large majesty palm houseplant outdoors

In addition to ample water, Ravenea rivularis kept as a houseplant requires specialty fertilizer for

palm trees Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

which contains more

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

than all-purpose fertilizers. Slow-release palm fertilizer with an

NPK Many countries have standardized the labeling of fertilizers to indicate their contents of major nutrients. The most common labeling convention, the NPK or N-P-K label, shows the amounts of the chemical elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potas ...

ratio of about 8-2-12 with at least 4% magnesium is ideal. A pinch of

epsom salt Epsomite, Epsom salt, or magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, is a hydrous magnesium sulfate mineral with formula MgSO4·7H2O. Epsomite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system as rarely found acicular or fibrous crystals, the normal form is as massi ...

may also be used as an alternative source of magnesium.Barth, Brian. (n.d.). What Kind of Fertilizer for a Majesty Palm? Home Guides , SF Gate. Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kind-fertilizer-majesty-palm-84481.html

References

*Rosenfeld, Richard. Houseplants. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2004. 257. Print.

External links

*More on ''Ravanea rivularis'' a
Palmpedia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q623263 rivularis Endemic flora of Madagascar Endangered flora of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie Taxa named by Henri Lucien Jumelle