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Young World

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And the giant tumbles down



Beautiful palm: Largest species.

Botanists have discovered a new species of giant self-destructing palm on the island of Madagascar. The tree, described as the nation’s largest palm species, is unlike anything else ever found on the island before, say scientists. Although villagers knew of its existence, none had witnessed the tree in flower. When this finally happened last year, botanists found that the tree spent so much energy flowering that it died. The palm is 20m (60ft) high with leaves 5m (16 ft) long, the tallest tree of its type in the country; but for most of its life — around 100 years — it appears fairly unremarkable apart from its size. At first there’s only a very long shoot like asparagus from the top of the tree and then, a few weeks later, this unique shoot starts to spread. At the end of this process you can have something like a Christmas tree.

COMPLIED BY SUBAJAYANTHI

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Young World

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