Palm Tree Biology

Monocot

• Flowering plant
• Monocotyledons have a singly cotyledon (seed-leaf)
• Other monocots: grasses, rice, wheat, bamboo, corn, ginger, onions, iris, daffodils, tulips, orchids, banana

Types of Trunk:

• Generally single trunked
• Can be smooth or rough, spiny, hairy, or fibrous
• Rings are leaf scars
• Tree can be damaged by puncturing the 

Roots:

• Stabilize the tree, but has no tap root
• Small to medium sized roots. Some species can be moved easily.
• Roots may form in root initiation zone at the trunk or from cut roots.

Leaves:

• Leaf sheath
• Petiole
• Frond

Types of Fronds:

• Feather or pinnate (plumose)
• Palmate or fan (spokewheel)
• Costapalmate
• Fishtail (bipinnate fishtail)
• Entire, Simple, or non-segmented (bifid)

Types of Petioles:

• Sharp, spiny, or smooth edges
• Short to ten feet long

Largest Monocot is a palm!

• Ceroxylon quindiuense

More on palms

• Northern California Palm Society
• Palm Society's list of palms
• More places to see palms
• Jungle Music, Palms and Cycads describes four palm leaf types 
• Palm Society, Northern California adds a couple more frond descriptors.