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Self Destructing Palm Tree01-25-08 | News

Self Destructing Palm Tree




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The Madagascan palm flowers like Christmas tree every 100 years, then dies.


A self-destructing palm tree that flowers once every 100 years and then dies has been discovered on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar. It does not flower for maybe 100 years and when it’s like this it can be mistaken for other types of palm. But then a large shoot, a bit like an asparagus, grows out of the top of the tree and starts to spread.

The branches of this shoot become covered in hundreds of tiny white flowers that ooze with nectar, attracting insects and birds. But the effort of flowering and fruiting depletes the tree so much that within a few months it collapses and dies.

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