File talk:P1010085 Dypsis ovobontsira.JPG

The Mongoose Palm Dypsis ovobontsira.

Ovobontsira means mongoose palm as this is a Malagasy name. The name ovobontsira is from the mongoose..? (I must say when I first heard this I thought Wow the Palm hart must taste like mongoose.!!) But as explained to me the name originates from the mongoose, apparently they like to live in the old palm trunks lying on the ground and because of this they call this palm ovobontsira. In Madagascar, the local people call “hovotra” is the Malagasy name for a palm or palm heart (depending on the region); and “vontsira” is mongoose. So, ovobontsira is mongoose palm or mongoose palm heart. Also another possible reason it is called this is when these palms are cut down and are laying rotting on the ground there is a type of white grub/worm inside the trunks that the mongoose love to eat so the local Malagasy people often see these mongoose digging inside these trunks which is also another possible reason why they call these the mongoose palms.

So here is a photo of the ringed tailed mongoose, which is more than likely the species of mongoose that the palm was named after. Sorry I don’t have a high-res photo.

Just a note that more than one species could possibly be called this name; like we have seen with the species that we know as Dypsis sp. Dark mealy bug.

Regards, Clayton.