The traveller’s tree gets its name from its breathtaking (and almost ridiculous) fan of leaves, which is reputed to orientate itself so consistently that it can be used as a compass.
An outgrown relative of the Bird of Paradise flower, the traveller’s tree has large, bright turquoise blue seeds – a rare feature in plants. The reason why? It co-evolved with the ruffed lemur, which only has blue and green receptors in its eyes. Any red or yellow seeds – the standard – would have been lost on them. The lemurs swallow the seeds and distribute them in the forest, together with a little pile of fertiliser.
