Palm Trees - Types of Palm Trees

Palm trees are cultivated on a large scale, and have cultural and historical significance. (The Romans considered the branch of a palm as a symbol of victory). Palm trees are very useful. They provide us with many foods and products. They are also used for landscaping on a large scale, and you can find them at the poolside, recreational areas, or parks. Palm trees do not need much maintenance, and can survive harmful insects. You will find palm trees in the tropics, but there are some trees which can survive temperatures of -20 degrees too. Such palm trees can be found in places like Switzerland and Canada.There are more than 2000 palm tree species, and they are mostly found in the tropical and subtropical regions.

There are two major palm tree types. They are called palmate and pinnate. These types differ mainly due to their leaf structure. The leaves of the palmate type are comparable to the human hand, and the leaves of the pinnate are like a feather. People choose from the different types of palm trees according to their requirements, and depending on factors such as height and suitable climate. Now, let's look at the various types of palm trees that fall under these two categories.

Palm Tree Type 1 - Palmate

• Australian Fan Palm: Its scientific name is Livistona australis. You will mostly find it along the roadside, and it grows to a height of about 80 feet.
• Cabbage Palm: Its scientific name is Sabal palmetto. It is found in the state of Florida.
• Silver Saw Palmetto Palm Trees: Its scientific name is Acoelorrhaphe wrightii. It can withstand temperatures up to 20 degrees. Its height is between 15-20 feet.
• Lady Palm Trees: Its scientific name is Rhapis excelsa. Its height is about 4-8 feet, and it requires shade or partial sunlight.
• Puerto Rican Thatch Palm Trees: Its scientific name is Coccothrinax alta. It needs direct sunlight, and grows to a height of about 25 feet. It can withstand temperatures of up to 30 degrees.

Palm Tree Type 2 - Pinnate

• Cane Palm: Its scientific name is Chrysalidocarpus lutescens. You can also plant it in your house.
• Mountain Cabbage Palm Trees: Its scientific name is Prestoea acuminata var. Montana. It requires filtered sunlight, and can withstand temperatures of up to 32 degrees. Its height is between 20-25 feet.
• Date Palm Trees: Its scientific name is Phoenix dactylifera. It can withstand temperatures of up to 18 degrees, and has a height of about 50 feet.

We saw some of the palmate and pinnate palm tree types. Now let us see some other palm tree types. They can be divided into northern and southern palm tree types.

Northern Palm Tree Types

They can survive the coldest of climates, and are found in the northern regions.

• Needle Palm: Its scientific name is Rhapidophyllum hystrix, and it is found in the northern region. It can withstand temperatures up to -20 degrees, however, with some damage.
• Dwarf Palmetto: It grows up to 6 feet and in shady areas.
• Windmill Palm: It is found in Switzerland near Lake Lucerne.

Southern Palm Tree Types

• Canary Island Date Palm: It is widely used for landscaping and its scientific name is Phoenix canariensis.
• Date Palm: It is used for the production of dates and is found mostly in Arizona and California.
• Pygmy Date Palm: It is an indoor plant and it grows up to 5 feet.

Bamboo palm trees, lady palm tees and kentia palm trees are the types of indoor palm trees.

You should plan your strategy for growing palm trees. First, plant the tall ones which can bear full sunlight, and then the shorter ones which need partial sunlight. Palm trees do not require a lot of maintenance but we should consider factors like such as the kind of soil, sunlight and height while planting them. We should choose the place according to the expected height of the trees as some of the palm trees can grow extremely tall. Caring for palm trees is not a very difficult job. Due to urbanization and deforestation, palm trees are included in the endangered plant species. We should take all the efforts to save them and preserve this beautiful gift of nature - palm trees.