Feather palm or fan palm?
Palms are classified into two groups with numerous subgroups:
- Feather palms
- Fan palms.
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You can recognize pinnate palms by the deeply incised leaf segments that resemble feathers. The leaves of the fan palm are semicircular with less pronounced incisions.
Appearance of the trunk
In many types of palm trees, due to the aging process, the leaves dry out and fall off the trunk. It leaves a scar, which is responsible for the typical structured appearance of the palm trunk.
In some palms, such as the Canary Island date palm, the leaves near the trunk are transformed into thorns. This can serve as a further distinguishing feature.
Flowers and fruits
These would be an important determinant. Unfortunately, many of the palm trees cultivated in the garden or room never bloom and therefore do not develop any fruit.
However, you can recognize the coconut palm without a doubt by the fact that it grows out of the coconut lying on the substrate. This is one of the special charms of this palm species.
No secondary growth in thickness
If you look closely at the trunk, it becomes clear that you are dealing with a palm tree and not a tree. In contrast to woody plants, palms have no secondary growth in thickness.
The leaves growing out of the heart give the palms their characteristic appearance. The trunk only widens through the remains of the dead leaves.
However, there are also palm trees that form runners and thus look like a small group of palm trees over time.
root
Unlike the roots of almost all plants, palm roots branch out 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 palms, there are also various plants that are only referred to as palms in our everyday language. These include the yucca, an asparagus plant, and the poisonous Madagascar palm.
