This article contains useful information about palm species, and it is extracted from a book called “A Californian’s guide to the trees among us” by “Matt Ritter”. Please leave your comments, if the article is useful.

Although, unlike broad-leaved trees and conifers, they do not grow annual rings of wood, palms are trees nonetheless, often with large, single trunks and sizable canopies. The 2,600or so species of palms are among the wonders of the natural world, most are frost-tender, from subtropical and tropical parts of the world, with only  a few species occurring in upper latitudes, such as the Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), and California’s only native palm, the California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera). The vining rattan palms (Calamus spp.) have the longest stems in the world, some nearly six hundred feet long. Palms have a strong, grasslike, fibrous root system lacking a taproot, and roots often arise beneath the bark on the base of the trunk (see the widening bases of old canary island date pals, page 123). Humans make use of palms in a number of ways.  The trees’ apical buds are harvested as palm hearts, their sap is drained for fermentation ( Chilean wine pals), and their leaves, stems, and trunks are used in roof thatching, furniture making, weaving, and construction.  Foods come from the energy-rich fruits of many species: dates( phoenix dactylifera), acai (pronounced awe-saw-EE) (Euterpe oleracea), palm oil (Elaeis guineensis), and coconut (Cocos nucifera).

Key to california’s commonly cultivated palms

Califomla’s most commonly grown palm trees (bolded) are treated in detail on the following pages.

1. Leaves bipinnately divided-Flshtail palm (Caryota spp.)

     1’  Leaves pinnately divided or palmately divided

2. Leaves pinnately divided (leather palms)
3. Lower leaflets becoming sharp splnes
4. Trunk diameter >1.5 ft.
5. Leaves pale green or bluish green, erect and ascending –date palm (phoenix dactylifera)

     5’ Leaves dark green, strongly arched-canary island date palm (phoenix           canariensis)

       4’ Trunk diameter<1.5 ft.

6. Leaves <4ft. long-Pigmy Date Palm (phoenix roebelenii)

6’ leaves >5ft. long-Senegal Date Palm (phoenix reclinata)

3’ Lower leaflets not spines

7. Trunk diameter>3ft. –Chilean Wine Palm (jubaea chilensis)

7’ Trunk diameter<2ft.

8. Flower clustersa arising from below the green crown shaft of the trunk, 2ft. below the leaves-king palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana)

8’   Flower clusters arising from among the leaves

9. Petiole margins with spiny black teeth, leaves gray-green-pindo palm (butia capitata)

9’ Petiole margins unarmed, leaves green

10. Trunk>15in. diameter; leaflets emanating from rachis in multiple planes, bent and drooping at the tip-queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)

10 ‘Trunk <15in. diameter; leaflets emanating from rachis in a single plane, not bent at the tip-kentia palm (Howeia spp.)

2’ Leaves palmately divided (fan palms)

11. petiole margins conspicuously armed with spiny teeth, at least at the base
12. Low clumping palm with multiple stems from the ground-Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis)
13. Old leaves not forming a skirt around the trunk, leaflet tips conspicuously bent and drooping, petals not flat, with ;grooves on inner surface-Australian fan palm (Livistona spp.)

          13’ Old leaves forming a skirt around the trunk (unless pruned off), leaflet tips mostly erect, petals thin and flat, without grooves on inner surface

14. Trunk stout (usually >2ft. in diameter). Many hairlike fibers on  the leaf tips-California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera)

        14’ Trunk very tall and slender (usually <2ft. in diameter). Few hair like fibers on the leaf tips-Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusto)

      11’ Petiole margins unarmed or occasionally with small sharp teeth

15. Trunk covered with coarse brown fibers and femnants of old leaf bases- Windmull palm (Trachycarpus fortunet)

  15’ Trunk smooth and gray, without coarse fibers

16. Leaves silvery ;gray to blue green-blue Fan Palm (Brahea amata)

 16’ Leaves green-Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis)