Family Arecaeae, monocot flowering plants known for their tropical habit. Use this tag with questions about caring, propagating or identifying plams.
Palm is the common name for members of the Arecaceae (Palmae) family. They are monocot flowering plants, and the only family of Order Arecales.
There are roughly 202 genera with about 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. They typically have large, compound evergreen leaves at the top of a singly un-branched stem - however, there are many exceptions. There are exceptions to the climate, and some are native to deserts, and others are tolerant of warm temperate conditions.
Palms are often planted as ornamental trees (e.g. in California and along the Gulf of Mexico coast), but they have been widely cultivated since ancient times. Example palm crops include the Cocos (coconut), Copernicia (Carnauba wax), Metroxlyon (Sago palm), Phoenix (Date palm), Elaeis (palm oil), and Sabal (Palmettos).
Use this tag for all questions about growing palms.