Either sane or insane, in real life or in movies, or even in the tangible sense or made-up mirage shades, nobody has ever frowned upon seeing a palm tree; and there’s an obvious reason behind that: where these gigantic prehistoric woody towers are present, life flows and ravishes.
Gazing a palm tree from distances whispers of an oasis to come, a precious lavish water-holding piece of land in the middle of god-forsaken deadly-hot area — although sometimes it’s just a trick on the mind.
What’s The Root of Palm Trees?
Botanically speaking, palm trees aren’t actually trees. They belong to the “Arecaceae” family and are close relatives of berries and grass. They have been standing still for around 80 million years, and it appears that they will be standing still for a long while.
Palm trees appear in different shapes and names. Here are some of the most famous ones: “Pygmy Date palm, Pindo Palm, Triangle Palm, Mediterranean Dwarf Palm, Mazari Palm, Dwarf Majesty Palm, Christmas Palm Tree, Bottle Palm Tree, Sago Palm, Sylvester Palm Tree, Chinese Fan Palm, Palmetto Palm Tree, Mexican Palm tree, Windmill Palm Tree.”
The main factor categorizing palm trees is their leaves, or scientifically-speaking, fronds. Based on the frond-observation method, we have two main classes: tall slender trunk and short dwarf palm trees.
Another way to thoroughly tell them apart is by the trunk shape. Some palm trees grow to have slender and tall figures, while on the other side, the more home-sized palm trees tend to have chunky trunks and shorter stems.
Everybody loves them. City-dwellers grow them in their backyards or in-door gardens; thus, they usually go with the in-house chubby dwarf palms. Sometimes it can be a bushy version and sometimes a Japanese Bonsai rip-off.
The slender trunk palms are mainly located in untarnished tropical lands where it’s hot! In these locations, everything’s just perfect for the palm trees to grow and flourish.
While some palm trees are of no use to us humans, others bless us with their fruits of coconuts and such, and more generously, other ones spoil us with their unending stash of the stone-fruit dates.
Dates grow on palm trees (Phoenix Dactylifera trees) where at ripening, they bend the fronds gracefully by their weight, announcing their readiness to be cut down. Different types of dates emerge underneath the pointy leaves of different palm trees filled with concentrated natural sugar, plenty of minerals and vitamins, and the power to cure blood pressure, heart diseases and even remedy the killer consequences of severe illnesses such as diabetes.
Every single date, from the famous Mazafati date, the sumptuous Piarom date, the beloved Sayer date (Esta’maran date), the lesser-known Shahani date, the magnificent Kabkab date, the brilliant Rabbi date, the sweet Lulu date, and finally, the benevolent Medjool dates, they all have one thing in common: they come from the Iranian Palm Tree.
Iranian Date Palm Trees
Most of these massive palm trees grow in Iran’s southern/southwestern regions, where the air is throat-soaring warm, the humidity penetrates casings and phones, and the land is scorching, which is perfect for growing palm trees.
Some of these indigenous wooden towers rise tens of meters high where their fruits patiently await to be slashed down.
Besides standing tall in the wild, these palm trees have penetrated daily Iranian lives and have become a centerpiece in decorating streets and dinner tables.
A stroll in the southern date-cultivating cities like Hormozgan, Hajjiabad, Bam, Kerman, Bushehr, Khuzestan, and some towns in Far province will prove the importance of palm trees in peoples’ lives.
However, not all palm trees produce dates, and some even don’t bear anything; instead, they’ve become centerpieces of landscaping, private gardening, and any city-transforming plan.
Here are some of the most exotic less-known palm trees which drop jaws.
Pygmy Palm Tree
Fittable in an apartment-sized palm-tree vase, visiting a pygmy palm tree in the domestic life is nothing strange, not to mention extremely pleasant and eye-freshening.
The bushy pinnate fronds reaching out from every angle almost resemble a forgotten 80’s women haircut — inconveniently loose and wild. And these wild all-out branches don’t grow more than a meter long, together with the single stem, bring an exquisite tropical aroma to any building or shack they invade.
Pindo Palm Tree
The flower-colors of this palm tree is far superior to traditional palm trees as red, white, and even yellow hue sprout out and mesmerize.
Pindo palms are not suitable for small apartments as they mature to an average height of 4.5 to 6 meters.
The graceful palm produces a jelly-making fruit of orange/brownish color, and there’s still more from where that came from. In some parts, the fruit seeds are roasted as a coffee substitute.
The best location to plant Pindo trees is a spot with easy access to the constant sunray — although partially shady areas will do too.
The jelly-palm also doesn’t need excessive protection and care since once in a blue moon, insects can be found latching themselves onto the trunk or infecting the tree.
Triangle Palm Tree
The triangle palm fronds vividly remind us of peacocks spreading their feathers and creating a show;
a gesture of beauty and excellence.
The triangle palm tree grows without any problems, both indoor and outdoor. It grows at astonishing rates, reaching its height of 4 to 6 meters within a couple of months.
This tree can tolerate colder temperatures, but the palm tree should be dried if specifically planted for freezing-cold climates.
Triangle palm tree isn’t that hard to maintain and nourish. Open areas under natural sun glow or semi-shaded gardens suit the tree perfectly. It doesn’t require much water drainage, and the fertilization is limited to twice a year.
Palmetto Palm Tree
From the thin-trunk list, we get to the Palmetto palm tree. In some parts of the world, this palm tree is strategically planted to cover the top of a building or a house’s roof, although it doesn’t always have the bushiest canopy.
The palmetto tree takes time to mature, so palm tree planters should be pretty subtle and patient with this one. Usually, they don’t require much pruning as they grow, but some fronds begin to fall at maturity.
For fertilization, there’s no need to be worried. However, if seeded in poor-conditioned soil lacking the essential nutrition, fertilization becomes a matter of necessity.
The palmetto palm tree is famous mainly for its hovering and dangling green leaves in South Carolina and Florida. They cover most coastal streets, avenues, boulevards, and postcards in these summer-party cities.
Although the two variants show some distinct features, it’s worth the mention that both are their respective stats’ official trees.
Mexican Palm Trees
Mexican palm trees stand one head above the Floridian palmetto palm tree in aesthetics, lushness, and attracting tourists with fanning, dark-green leaves. However, it’s not uncommon to mistake the slender shape and narrow trunks of these two.
The Mexican palm tree shouldn’t be confined to a tight space as they don’t get to unleash their loveliness and fully grow to charm beholders.
The fast-growing palm tree befits its name since it is the lofty representation of the Mexican culture, freedom of spirit, and lavishness. These palms are natives of the Mexican region in origin but have been imported to the united states and steadily fanned out through its provinces like California.
Clusters of edible fruit grow on this date palm, although the dates aren’t as tasty as dates from other types of palms.
Christmas Palm Tree
The name on its own is sufficient to make us fall in love with it, and it seems to be the case for everybody worldwide.
Many believe that the Christmas palm tree is the most favorable out there, and people are crazy about its leafy-covered posture.
The Christmas palm tree is a thick indoor plant with no need for inhabitation bigger than few meters in each direction. They commonly grow up to 4.5 meters, but some species can spring up to almost 8 meters.
You’ve probably seen one of these fantastic wildly-popular palm trees in one of the more recent James Bond movies.
The arching green crown droops down from the top of the stem at full maturity, exemplifying the greenness and gitty feeling of a holiday. Can you guess what holiday that is?
Take Away
Palm trees are ancient entities and staples of beauty, resilience, humbleness, and endurance. They have grown a special place in our history books, in our hearts, and in our daily lives.
Whether it’s their paralyzing-beautiful fronds, the towering structure, their down-to-earth posture, or their quite tasty treats – when they can produce one, of course – they are beneficial all the time.
So, next time you decide to add a new plant to your garden collection or plan a neighborhood-boosting green alley, take palm trees into consideration. Although they might cost a bit more than regular flowers and flora, the extra dip is worth it.
Thnx!
Keep up the good work.