nuciferaare the only palm trees to produce the distinctive coconut.
In short, a coconut tree is simply atype of palm tree.
Learn about the key differences between coconut trees and palm trees below.
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Fronds up to 18 feet in length appear at the crown with fruits clustered below or between the fronds.
Fronds grow up to three feet long.
Palm Tree
Palm trees range in size from a 6-foot tall houseplant to the 200-foot-tall wax palm.
Trunks also have different shapes, such as the bottle palm, as they mature.
Fun Fact
Palm trees are not actually trees.
In botanical terminology these plants are woody herbs with trunks defined as stems.
Growth Habit
All tall palms with singular trunks display leaf scars as they mature.
As the tree increases in height, old leaves mature and fall or are removed.
Only trees grown outdoors produce fruit.
Coconuts need a full year to ripen after reaching mature size.
They continue to grow fruit for up to 80 years.
The growth habit of other palm trees varies widely.
Many feature the characteristic feathery, long leaf shape described in botanical terms as pinnate.
Others have oval, fan, or hand-shaped leaves described as palmate.
Other species and cultivars form sprays or mounds with arching fronds or spikes of fan-shaped foliage.
Native Area
Almost all palm trees are found in tropical and sub-tropical environments.
Needle palm, the northernmost species in the United States, grows naturally on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Coconut trees can be found in tropical coastal areas worldwide.
They do nottolerate cold temperaturesand suffer leaf damage at temperatures below 45 degrees.
All palms need sun although some prefer indirect light opposed to bright sunlight.
Some thrive in desert environments while others grow as understory plants in rainforests.
Uses for Palm Trees
Coconut palm trees are one of the earth’s most versatile plants.
Along with the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis),the coconut treeis the most commercially viable.
Both are major sources of oils and fat.
The outer hull of the coconut is a source ofcoir.
The innner hard shell serves as fuel, charcoal, and carvings.
Coconut water is potable and the flesh is eaten both raw and cooked.
Sap from the flower stalk is potable as sugar, alcohol, and vinegar.
Trunks provide wood for construction and leaves are made into baskets and decorative elements.
Other palm trees produce fruits and edible parts like dates and palm hearts.
Many types have multiple uses and new ones are being developed and explored commercially worldwide.
Palm Morphology and Anatomy.
University of Florida Extension.
