Summer, sun and palm trees - these three terms are inextricably linked for many people. Palm trees thrived as early as 70 million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs still inhabited the earth. With over 200 genera and over 2500 palm species, these plants are among the most widespread plants today. Their representatives impress, among other things, with the world's largest plant leaf, the largest seeds and the longest inflorescence.
Palm trees are popular houseplants
The most important facts:
- Plant family: Palm family (Arecaceae)
- Subdivision: seed plants
- Department: Flowering Plant
- Classes: monocots
- Subclass: Commelina-like (Commelinidae)
- Order: palmaceous
- Origin: Tropical and subtropical areas.
- Height: Small, medium or large.
- Foliage: Pinnate or fanned out.
- Flowers: Often quite inconspicuous and separate sexes. But there are also species with male and female palms.
- Flowering time: Palm trees can flower several times or even just once in a lifetime.
- Fruits: drupes or berries, rarely inclosing fruits.
- Propagation: By seeds, shoots or side shoots.
- Location: Sunny, in the light semi-shade or in the shade.
- Soil: Most palms prefer slightly acidic, well-drained substrates.
- Special features: The trunk lacks cabium, so palm trees do not have secondary thickening. For this reason, they are not counted among the trees.
Palm trees don't branch
The survival artists have developed in a fascinating diversity throughout their long history. For this reason it is quite difficult to classify palm trees in a short profile. The tuft-like growth is typical of the palm family and all palm trees have in common, as the leaves grow out of the top of the trunk (heart of the palm). This creates the characteristic palm shape that makes these plants particularly attractive.
The palm leaves
The leaves of the pinnate palms resemble feathers while fan palms, less deeply incised, resemble a beautifully shaped fan. They always consist of the leaf base, the stem and the leaf blade. With age, the leaves dry up and usually fall off by themselves. Scars appear on the trunk, which give the palm tree its unmistakable appearance.
flowers and fruits
Some palm trees flower after just a few years, while other varieties take almost a hundred years before they flower for the first time. What all palms have in common is that they form inflorescences from many individual flowers. Almost all palm plants flower regularly. Species that produce 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 energy, it is advisable to cut off the inflorescences if necessary.