What are Palm Trees?
Palm trees are trees in the family Arecaceae, sometimes referred to as Palmae. Palms are widely distributed in the tropical regions of the world, with some species venturing into subtropical or even temperate zones, and there are around 2,600 individual species of palm tree, all told. This family has a number of uses among humans, ranging from the practical to the decorative, and many people are familiar with the palm tree, thanks to its frequent use as a symbol of the tropics. When people think about palm trees, they usually conjure up an image of a tall tree topped with a crown of extremely large compound leaves. The tree may be located on a remote beach under a bright blue sky near some inviting tropical waters, for the more imaginative among us. While this image certainly describes one type of palm tree (and ideal vacation, for some), palms are actually quite diverse, and many species look very different from this idealized image. Basically, palm trees break into two main types. So
