I love a palm tree. They’ve always put a smile on my face. If they make you smile too, you’ll love my list of 10 fun facts about the palm tree.
1. There are a lot of different kinds of palm trees -- more than 2,500. And almost all can thrive somewhere in Florida.
2. Palm trees are known by their large, green, fan-like leaves. They’re called fronds.
3. The trunk of a palm tree is extremely variable in size. From less than half of an inch in diameter to up to 4 feet in diameter.
4. That trunk can grow tall. The Wax Palm is the tallest in the world up to 200 feet. That’s more than an 18-story building. It's native to the tropical forests of Northern Peru and the Andes of Columbia. And, it’s an important habitat for many animal species, including the endangered yellow-eared parrot.
5. Food grows from palm trees. Here are a few types: coconuts, dates, açaí berries and even wine!
6. Those coconut trees grow here in Florida, but mainly in a line from about Stuart to Punta Gorda, south to Key West.
7. Saw palms are native to Florida, and their berries produce a supplement that's very common in health food stores, called Saw Palmetto.
8. Palm trees, from a fossil standpoint, date back at least 80 million years ago to the time of the dinosaurs!
9. That flowering stem you sometimes see sprouting off the palm tree is an inflorescence, a bunch of tiny flowers seen as the tree attempts pollinating. It is the reproductive portion of the palm tree.
10. Palm trees thrive in warm climates with rare frost. So just like you, they’re perfect for Florida.
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