Greenscape Gardens Green Blog

New 'suicide' palm found in Madagascar

Tahina spectabilis is a new species of palm that grows 30 feet tall and produces fan-shaped leaves up to 15 feet across. This palm, discovered in Madagascar in 2006, is unique in that it essentially "flowers itself to death," reports the Washington Post. Palm biologists had to establish an entirely new genus for it. Since its initial discovery, scientists have identified an additional 92 surviving specimens. About 200 species of palms can be found on Madagascar. An estimated 90% of the island's 10,000 plant species are found nowhere else in the world.