Meet the Swamp Thing

I recently received this plant as a gift from some neighbors. It had outgrown their apartment, and I had a little space in mine, so I welcomed it into my home.

It’s a Ravenea rivularis, or “majesty palm.” It grows in the understory — that is, in the shade of other trees and plants, so it likes a bright but not sunny space. It grows slowly, but eventually it can reach up to 100 feet tall, so I can’t keep it forever. The palm is a native of Madagascar, where it likes moist soil and grows in wetlands such as riverbanks and swamps.

Because of that, I’ve named it “Swamp Thing.” It lives here in my home office, where its size makes it seem like an extroverted companion.