The palm - the Mediterranean ambassador in the profile

Content

• The palm - the Mediterranean ambassador in the profile
• The most important facts:
• Palm trees do not branch
• The palm leaves
• Flowers and fruits
• Tips

Palm trees are popular indoor plants

The palm - the Mediterranean ambassador in the profile

Summer, sun and palm trees - these three concepts are for many inseparable. Already 70 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs inhabited the earth, palm trees flourished. With more than 200 genera and more than 2500 palm species, these plants are today among the most widespread plants. Their representatives impress, among other things, with the world's largest plant leaf, the largest seed and the longest inflorescence.

The most important facts:

Palm trees do not branch

The survivors have developed through their long history in a fascinating diversity. For this reason, it is quite difficult to classify palm trees in a short profile. Common to palm trees and all palms common is the ladder-like growth, as the leaves grow out of the top of the trunk (palm heart). This forms the characteristic palm form, which makes the special charm of these plants.

The palm leaves

The leaves of the feather palms resemble feathers while fan palms, less deeply cut, resemble a beautifully shaped fan. They always consist of the leaf base, the stalk and the leaf blade. In old age, the leaves dry and usually fall off by themselves. The trunk creates scars that give the palm its unmistakable appearance.

Flowers and fruits

Some palms are already blooming after a few years, other varieties need almost one hundred years to flower for the first time. Common to all palms is that they form inflorescences of many single flowers. Almost all palm trees bloom regularly. Species that have a terminal flower at the top of the plant only flower once and then die off.

The fruits can be a few millimeters in size or, like the Corypha umbraculifera, reach a length of half a meter and a weight of up to thirty kilograms.

Tips

Palm trees rarely bloom in the room. Since the inconspicuous flowers cost the plant a lot of strength, it is recommended to cut off the inflorescences if necessary.