Emblematic of Madagascar, the traveller’s tree is a tropical plant of the strelitziaceae family. Contrary to its name, the traveller’s tree is not a tree, but a herbaceous plant with a lacunar stipe. When fully grown, it can be mistaken for a palm tree. The plant is used as ephemeral building material. 

The traveller’s tree prefers sheltered, warm, humid and low-moisture areas near the coast. It is found at sea level and at altitudes of 450 m; the plant can be found at altitudes of up to 1000 m.
The stipe is fast growing. The speed of growth makes it an invasive plant. 

The traveller’s tree is an emblem of Madagascar. Its curvature is represented on the planes of the national airline. The design of the plant is also visible on coins, school coats of arms, and administrative documents.

The flowers of the plant are bisexual. They are enclosed in large, whitish, stiff, boat-shaped, distichous bracts, 20-25 cm long.
The flower parts are creamy white. Petals free, lanceolate, up to 15 cm long, the posterior petals shorter than the other 2. Nectaries with abundant nectar.

Its fruit is an oblong, woody, loculicidal capsule, 2-4 cm long. It bears numerous seeds. 

The plant is found in Reunion Island, Mauritius, the Comoros Archipelago, Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Thailand, Cameroon, Paraguay and various tropical regions.