Clearing Up False Palm Beliefs
Although some unfortunate folks seem immune to the allure of palms, these plants possess a mystique that captivates most people in a way other species can't.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a great deal of confusion about palms, so I'm taking this opportunity to present a few random but interesting facts.
First, let's ponder the number of palm species on our verdant planet. Most folks, even gardeners, think there are a few dozen species. A few bold people - those with slightly less parochial views - guess a few hundred. Considering the dismal state of natural history education in the United States, such estimates aren't surprising, but the actual number of palm species is nearly 3,000.
What makes a palm a palm also befuddles many people, which isn't startling given all the mislabeled plants granted palm status in nurseries.
Among the plants unrelated to palms that are nonetheless called palms are cycads such as sago cycad, cardboard cycad and Mexican cycad, which are almost universally referred to as sago palm and so on.
Similarly, the so-called ponytail palm is in the lily family, traveler's palm is related to bird-of-paradise and umbrella palm is kin to papyrus.
On the other hand, palms do belong to the same division of flowering plants as bananas, bamboos, yuccas and corn.
All of these are monocots, which differ markedly from the other kind of flowering plants called dicots, which include species such as oaks, magnolias and roses. In fact palms, with their woody stems, are atypical monocots.
Why point out that palms are monocots? Because monocots grow and perform differently than most plants.
It's important to know, for example, that palms have no cambium layer and thus cannot heal wounds by forming new woody tissue around injuries.
Although wounds on a palm trunk eventually dry out, they remain open to pathogens throughout the plant's life. And if you're wondering how palms manage to thicken as they age, they accomplish it by expanding existing tissue rather than creating new tissue as dicots do.
Another striking aspect of palm growth is how all the foliage is generated by a single bud, sometimes called the palm's heart. If this bud is destroyed by insects, fire or harvesting for hearts-of-palm, the plant is doomed unless it's a multi-stemmed specimen with other intact buds.
Part of the appeal of palms is their indissoluble connection to the supposedly idyllic Tropics. But many palms are native to chilly climes, such as Sabal minor, which ranges into Oklahoma and Arkansas; Phoenix theophrasti of Turkey; and the European fan palm that dots plains and hills in Albania, Italy and France.
Happy gardening!
WORD OF THE WEEK
Pinnate refers to feather-like leaves such as those of queen and date palms.
Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate's degree in horticulture and is a member of the Garden Writers Association of America.