Ravenala madagascariensis , the Traveler's Palm which appears in the seal of Madagascar, is a relative of the banana. When stabbed 15-cm deep at the base of the 2-m leaf, just above the junction with the trunk, each leaf provides about a liter of water, and is often the only uncontaminated source. For the settled, the ravenala provides housing from bark (for floors), leaves (for roofs) and stems (for walls). It thrives where nothing else will grow, apparently because it obtains most of its nutrients from rain, requiring nothing from the soil, and thus is common in the impoverished soil remaining after cutting of the eastern rain forest. Its bright blue seeds are fire resistant.