Determine palm trees - this is how you recognize which palm tree you have

Content

• Determine palm trees - this is how you recognize which palm tree you have
• Feather palm or fan palm?
• Appearance of the trunk
• Flowers and fruits
• No secondary growth in thickness
• root
• Tips

One distinguishes between fan palms and feather palms (the latter shown here)

Determine palm trees - this is how you recognize which palm tree you have

Palm trees are among the most popular indoor plants. With their beautiful fan or pinnate leaves they conjure a Mediterranean ambience in every room. Contrary to popular belief, not all palms are sunbathers, and every species has a different light and water requirement. That's why it's important to know which palm tree you have. Despite the great diversity, there are over 2,000 palm subspecies, it is relatively easy to identify a palm plant as such.

Feather palm or fan palm?

Palm trees are divided into two groups with numerous subgroups:

Feather palms are recognizable by the deeply cut leaf segments, which resemble feathers. The leaves of the fan palm are semicircular with less severe incisions.

Appearance of the trunk

In many species of palms, dried by the aging process, the leaves and falls from the trunk. It leaves a scar, which is responsible for the typical structured appearance of the palm trunk.

In some palms, for example, the Canary date palm, the leaves are remodeled in the vicinity of the trunk to thorns. This can serve as a further identifying feature.

Flowers and fruits

These would be an important determinant. Unfortunately, many palm trees cultivated in the garden or in the room never bloom and therefore do not produce any fruit.

The coconut palm, however, is unequivocally recognizable by the fact that it grows out of the coconut resting on the substrate. This is one of the special charms of this palm species.

No secondary growth in thickness

The fact that you are dealing with a palm tree and no tree becomes clear when you look closely at the trunk. Unlike woody plants, palm trees have no secondary growth in thickness.

The leaves that wake up from the heart give the palms their characteristic appearance. The trunk widens only through the remains of the dead leaves.

However, there are also palms that form foothills and thus over time look like a small group of palm trees.

root

Palm roots, unlike the roots of almost all plants, branch little and do not form hair roots. Many palm trees, especially those that actually come from desert regions, also have deep roots.

Tips

In addition to the real palm trees, there are also different plants, which are only referred to in our language as a palm tree. These include the yucca, an asparagus plant, and the poisonous Madagascar palm.