Palms - the trees of life
Used in the Glasshouse to give height and structure to the planting, the fronds of palms make beautiful circular patterns when seen from above and provide shade for the plants underneath. Look for examples of palms in all three zones.
Palms are found on every continent apart from Antarctica - not just on white sandy beaches and in deserts.
Cultivated for thousands of years, palms provide food such as dates, coconuts, hearts of palm and palm oil. In India, the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is known as the tree of life because it is a source of food, fuel, oil and building materials.
There are more than 2,500 species of palms. They range from climbers like the rattans to the stately king palm, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana.
Palms are flowering plants that produce fruits and seeds. The largest seed in the plant kingdom is produced by the coco-de-mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica).
Today, date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) are grown as a crop in Iraq, Arabia, Morocco, Turkey and the USA. The seeds, leaves and wood are all used. In the tropics, plantations of the oil palm (Elaeis species) are becoming an environmental issue because they replace rainforest and destroy the habitats of orang-utan, Sumatran tigers and rhinoceros.
The most popular indoor palms are the parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans) and the kentia palm (Howea forsteriana). Both are extremely tolerant of drought, dust and low light.