Tahina spectabilis (dimaka)

Northwest Madagascar - confined to a small area in Analalava district.

Flowering parts of Tahina spectabilis (Image: John Dransfield)

Tahina spectabilis has a huge trunk, with a swollen base, and a 4 to 10 m high crown comprising about twelve fan-shaped leaves up to 5 m in diameter. Dead leaves are retained below the new growth but eventually fall under their own weight as the tree gets larger. The trunk is covered by ring scars left by the fallen leaves.

When flowering commences, the tip of the stem extends above the dense green crown, expanding into an impressive pyramidal, candelabra-like inflorescence (around 4-5 m in height) which at maturity explodes with a multitude of tiny yellow flowers.

Tahina spectabilis to scale (Image: John Dransfield)

As with all of Madagascar’s wildlife the biggest threat to this palm is likely to be habitat loss. It is particularly vulnerable because it has a very small population size (estimated at 90 individuals) and a restricted range, meaning that even small-scale impacts could be potentially devastating. Since the 1970s, approximately one-third of Madagascar’s primary vegetation has disappeared, mainly as a direct result of fires, logging and clearance of land for agriculture.

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Tahina spectabilis seeds have been sent to:

National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, Hawai
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, USA
Montgomery Botanical Center, Miami, USA
Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Hawai, USA
Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain, Sydney, Australia
Townsville Palmetum, Townsville, Australia
Durban Botanic Garden, Durban, South Africa
Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Kebun Raya Indonesia, Bogor
Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Palmetum of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain

Uses for Tahina spectabilis are not known. As a rare species, it is likely to be prized as an ornamental.

Propagation of this palm has been achieved by seed-sowing at Kew. Seeds were sown during February, having been soaked in water for 24 hours prior to sowing. The seed compost included Seramis (clay granules) and perlite. Two months after sowing, 80% of the seeds had germinated. The seedlings were potted up individually into ‘long tom’ pots. After three years (in early 2011), the plants were still growing well.

Tahina spectabilis can be seen growing in the Palm House at Kew.

Search Kew's science databases for more information on Tahina spectabilis

Read more about the arrival of Tahina spectabilis seeds at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank here

PALMweb

The Guardian (11 Sept 2012): World's 100 most endangered species

Priceless or Worthless (IUCN list of 100 most endangered species)