Natural and Wild Diet

[Radiated Tortoise]

i was wondering if anyone could give me a list of some native plants to madagascar which are also edible to the radiated tortoise. Currently i have aloe vera, prickly pear(opuntia maxima) and also alluauidia humberti!

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi "Radiated Tortoise":

I really doubt that any of us would know the names of native plants in Madagascar. We just do the best we can to find dark, leafy greens that are common in our own countries.

What kinds of things can you find in the store in your country?

 

[Radiated Tortoise]

we can find around 10 different madagascan plants, however i dont know which are edible to them...i was wondering if aloe vera is edible.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, but should not be fed very often as it causes loose stools.

 

[JourneyTort]

I thought I read somewhere that Optunia was not native to Madagascar but is an introduced plant that has taken over and native plants are having a hard time surviving? Maybe it was referring to the subspecies of Optunia??

 

[Yvonne G]

Way, way back in the olden days...before Columbus, even, cactus of any kind...CACTUS, not succulents...were only found in the Americas. Opuntia is an introduced species in any Continent besides the Americas.

 

[N2TORTS]

Madagascar has one of the most diverse collections of plant life on earth. Many of Madagascar's plants have no relatives elsewhere in the world.
Here just to name a few …… are some edible plants native and or imported to be found on the island of Madagascar.

Baobab Tree :
The baobab tree may grow as high as 18 meters and may have a trunk 9 meters in diameter. The tree has short, stubby branches and a gray, thick bark. Its leaves are compound and their segments are arranged like the palm of a hand. Its flowers, which are white and several centimeters across, hang from the higher branches. Its fruit is shaped like a football, measures up to 45 centimeters long, and is covered with short dense hair.
The pulp and seeds of the fruit are also edible.

Tamarind:
Of the legume family, this small tree is thought to have originated in India. Now grown throughout the tropics. Used as a table fruit, drink, preserves, and also has medicinal properties.

Cloves: (Eugenia caryophylus)
The aromatic flower buds are from a tropical evergreen tree native to the Southeast Asian Mollucas, now grown in Zanzibar, Madagascar, and Indonesia. The flowers are edible and the torts love um!

Madagascar rosy periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus),
The Madagascar rosy periwinkle an evergreen herb with pale pink flowers, has long been used by locals to make an herbal medicine. Recently, the plant was discovered to be the source of a potent cancer fighter, a compound called vincristine or vinblastine.



JD~