What are the characteristics of palm trees?

Date Palm or Phoenix dactylifera

Phoenix dactylifera

Palm trees are wonderful plants with which you can have a tropical-looking garden even in frosty climates. Its leaves, its stipe (trunk) and the way in which they develop is so elegant that no other plant like it can be found.

Decorating with them is always a pleasure, as there are more than 3000 species and there are many that, surely, can be adapted to live well in your area. But, Do you know what are the characteristics of palm trees? 

Dypsis lutescens leaves

Dypsis lutescens

Palm trees belong to the Arecaceae family (formerly Palmaceae). They are plants monocotsIn other words, not only do they not have secondary growth (like trees), but also when the seeds germinate, only a single cotyledon sprouts. We could say that they are the "older sisters" of herbs, since, in fact, palm trees are giant grasses.

Its main characteristics, that is, those that we have to look at when we want to identify them, are:

  • Roots: their root system is fasciculate, which means that they do not have a main root. They are superficial and do not go deeper than 60cm. Also, they are not invasive.
  • Stipe: it is the trunk or false trunk. It can be multicaule (several trunks), or unicaule. Depending on the species it can be long, short, fine, rough, covered with fibers or thorns, climbing (Calamus) or underground (Nypa fruticans). Some can withstand the force of hurricanes, as palm trees lack cambium so they have a more flexible trunk. But they are unable to regenerate external tissue: they cannot heal wounds.
  • Leaves: can be pinnate (Butia, Phoenix, Chamaedorea, etc.), which are those from which the laterally oriented segments emerge from the rachis; bipinnate (Caryota), which are those whose leaflets are doubly pinnate; clapschamaerops, Copernicia, Trithrinax, etc.) which are those that have a fan shape; and costapalmadas (In the tail, Livistona, Raphis, Licuala), which are fan-shaped leaves whose petiole is inserted in the form of a rib at the blade.
  • Inflorescence: are the set of flowers. They are protected by bracts called spathes.
  • Flowers: they are very small, formed by 6 petals in 2 whorls. Most species are monoecious (with female and male specimens), but there are also those that are dioecious. In turn, palm trees can be monocarpic (Corypha), that is, after flowering once they die leaving behind a large number of seeds, or polycarpic, which bloom once a year from the moment it reaches Adulthood.
  • Fruits: they can be in the form of drupe (Cocos) or drupe (Phoenix), and have a very variable weight, from a few grams to 25kg.
Coconut palm or Cocos nucifera

Cocos nucifera

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