The palm tree is a plant that ideally brings a tropical flavor to any garden. It is better to choose the type of palm tree for growing in the garden from those plants that are already cultivated in your climatic zone.
If there is a desire to experiment, then the plant must be chosen taking into account the conformity of the conditions of detention that you can provide for it (lighting, temperature, watering, soil) - the conditions in which the selected type of palm tree is used to growing.
Lighting
For each type of palm, there is an optimal and acceptable lighting. If the intensity of illumination of a palm tree goes beyond the permissible limits, then the plant begins to deviate in development: the leaves die prematurely, the shape changes, the development slows down or stops.
Most palms, at different ages, need different intensities of sunlight. For young palms without a trunk, direct sunlight is contraindicated in most cases; diffused sunlight or partial shade is enough for them. Mature plants usually grow in direct sunlight for most of the day; for less of the day, they can develop in diffused sunlight or in partial shade.
For different types the length of daylight is of great importance for palm trees. Optimal, for the development of a plant, is considered to be the duration of daylight hours, which is equal to the duration of the day in the homeland of the palm tree, that is, in its natural habitat.
If the light intensity is too high, the palm leaves turn brown and die off. If the light intensity is not sufficient, then the parts of the plant stretch out and the palm takes on a "thin, lanky" appearance.
Temperature
Palm trees come from different climatic zones:
- where it is hot throughout the year;
- during the day the temperature reaches + 35 0 С, and at night it does not drop below + 25 0 С;
- winter hardiness of some palms reaches (-17) 0 С;
- some species can withstand temperatures of +45 0 С without any problems.
Considering the temperature characteristics of your region, you can choose the right plant.
The soil
Soils suitable for growing different types of palms share some common properties:
High drainage capacity;
Soil acidity pH (5.5 - 7.0).
Planting / transfer
Most types of palm trees negatively tolerate transplanting, in which the earthen lump is destroyed. Therefore, it is allowed to reload the plant while preserving the earthen coma. Also, when planting or replanting most types of palm trees, you cannot change the level of the plant's deepening. The place for planting should be chosen taking into account that the plant should be:
2) protected from the prevailing winds.
The time for boarding is selected depending on the region. In cold areas, landing in open ground carried out in the spring, after the threat of recurrent frosts has passed. In the tropics, do not plant a plant during drought periods. Young palms that do not have a trunk are most susceptible to damage from negative weather factors.
In most cases, the planting material is grown in seedlings in a container culture.
Planting palm trees in open ground
The planting hole is dug twice as large (wider) than the diameter of the earthen coma (plant root system), and 10-15% deeper than the height of the root system (container of the planted plant).
- We take the plant out of the pot, place it in the planting pit.
- We cover the free space with loose soil.
- After planting, we carry out abundant watering so that the earth subsides and fills all the voids.
- We mulch the soil around the plant.
Watering
The frequency of watering for different types of palms is:
Without drying the earthen coma;
With light drying of the earthen coma;
With strong drying of the earthen coma.
The frequency of watering for each type of palm is indicated individually. Newly planted palms are watered with frequency - without drying the earthy coma. The amount of water for a single watering depends on the age of the plant and the size of the root system: 1-3 liters of water is enough for a young plant, up to 200 liters for an adult plant.
Humidity
The degree of significance of the relative air humidity for each type of palm tree is individual. Palm trees reach their maximum decorative effect at high air humidity.
Fertilizer
We carry out top dressing during the period of vegetative growth of the plant. In the subtropics, we apply fertilizers from mid-spring to late summer. In tropical regions, fertilization is carried out during the growing season of the palms, but the period itself is adjusted depending on the alternation of the dry and rainy seasons.
As fertilizers, we use organic fertilizers or mineral slow-release fertilizers for palms, which can be applied both dry and in the form of solutions. The frequency of feeding is once a month or once a month and a half. For young plants, foliar feeding can be carried out to accelerate development.
When feeding adult trees, it is necessary to take into account the structural features of the root system and the length of the roots, which can reach 12-15 m.
Pests
Pests reduce the decorative effect of the plant and slow down its development, up to the death of the palm tree. The assortment of pests depends on the region where the plant is grown. In most cases, these are caterpillars gnawing leaves, mealybugs, scale insects, herbivorous mites.
Pest control:
1) the gardener should not create favorable conditions for the development of the pest; various agrotechnical measures need to complicate the life of pests;
2) to protect the plant, with its strong infestation with pests, it is necessary to use biological or chemical preparations.
Diseases
Diseases of palm trees can be divided into two groups:
1) plant problems due to violations of conditions of detention, the presence of pests or physiological abnormalities;
2) diseases of an infectious origin, the causative agent of which are: bacteria, fungi, mycoses.
For example, palm leaves turn yellow en masse. The reason for this may be: the presence of pests, too high intensity of solar irradiation, damage to the root system. In turn, the root system can suffer from infectious diseases, or from prolonged drought or from getting wet. In order to determine the source of the problem and the way to solve it, you need your own experience or expert advice, or in extreme cases, luck.
Palm, or Palm trees, or Arecaceae (lat. Arecáceae, Pálmae, Palmáceae) - a family of monocotyledonous plants.
It is represented mostly by woody plants with unbranched trunks, in which primary thickening occurs (that is, thickening due to the activity of the protoderm and the main meristem). There are also a number of species that are characterized by thin creeping or climbing shoots (for example, representatives of the genus Calamus). The family includes 185 genera and about 3400 species.
Palm- a tree-legend. The peoples of many countries worshiped palm trees, considering them sacred plants. More than a thousand years ago, the Greeks sent messengers with a palm branch to Hellas to announce their victory. In a figurative sense, it is a symbol of peace, because it is not for nothing that the white dove of peace holds a palm branch in its beak. In the same Greece, the athlete who won the competition was awarded a branch of a palm tree. Hence the expression "palm" in something came from.
Liviston leaves in her homeland are used to weave baskets, mats, hats, sandals and other household items. Leaf segments have long been used as writing paper, and many ancient manuscripts are written on them.
Not so long ago, the "Fox tail" palm tree became famous in the world. An Australian plant nursery owner was told that off the beaten path in the northeast of the continent, there are some of the world's most beautiful palm trees that are second to none. One of the aborigines showed the owner of the nursery this place near the city of Queensland, where spectacular palm trees with spectacular crown leaves, reminiscent of a fox's tail, grew. The new palm tree quickly conquered the world, and only the massive commercial propagation of these palms stopped the wave of illegal harvesting of seeds from wild plants.
Chrysalidocarpus. Such a long name hides a poetic one - "Golden Butterfly", which the plant received for the beautiful color of the fruit. 20 species of these palms can be seen in nature in Madagascar and the Comoros.
Date palm. The name may be associated with the phoenix bird that was reborn from the ashes. After all, a date is capable of giving offspring even from a dead trunk. About 17 species grow in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa.
Coconut palm. The name comes from the Greek trachys - hard, rough, rough and Karpos - fruit. There are 6 species, common in the Himalayas, China, Japan.
Hamedorea. The bamboo palm got its name from the Greek Chamai, i.e. the fruits are easy to reach and hang low. There are 100 known species growing in Central America.
Hamerops. Translated from Greek means low bush. 1-2 species grow in the Mediterranean.
Hovea. It is also called the paradise palm, comes from the islands of Lord Howe in the Pacific Ocean, where both species known in this genus grow.
The coconut tree lives for about 100 years, producing up to 450 nuts annually. Coconuts are amazing fruits: they can sail for a long time in the sea, and when they reach the coast, they take root and germinate thousands of kilometers from their place of birth. This is why coconut palms are widespread along the coast of tropical seas. The inhabitants of the Pacific coast have a custom of planting a coconut tree when a child is born in the family, whose health is then assessed by the state of the growing tree.
Different countries endow the palm tree with their own symbolism, so in China the palm tree means dignity, fertility and retirement, in Arabia the palm tree is the tree of life. In Christianity, the palm tree characterizes the righteous, immortality, the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, divine blessing, paradise, and the triumph of the martyr before death.
Separately, palm branches denote triumph and glory, victory over death, sin and resurrection. Early Catholicism associated the palm tree with burials and ranks this plant as a symbol of a person who made a pilgrimage.
In Egypt, the palm tree is considered to be a calendar tree that sprouts a new branch only once a month. In Greece, the palm is the emblem of Apollo of Delos and Delphic.
Reprinting of articles and photos is allowed only with a hyperlink to the site:Palm trees - one of the largest families of flowering plants - has about 210 genera and 2780 species (G. Moore, 1973), and according to some sources - up to 240 genera and about 3400 species. Palm trees are widespread mainly in tropical and subtropical countries around the globe, but are especially abundant in Southeast Asia and tropical South America; only a few species are found in extratropical regions (Map 13). The farthest to the north (almost 44 ° N) comes the squat hamerops (Chamaerops humilis), common in the Mediterranean from southern Portugal to Malta, as well as in North Africa. The Phoenix theophrasti date palm grows on the island of Crete. In the arid regions of Afghanistan, the nanorops Ritchie, or the mazari palm (Nannorrhops ritchiana), is found, whose range extends further into Pakistan, Southeastern Iran and South Arabia. Trachycarpus fortunei reaches 35 ° N. NS. in Korea and Japan. This one of the most cold hardy palms is known to be cultivated in Scotland. Another species of the genus, T. takil, grows in the Western Himalayas at an altitude of almost 2400 m above sea level, where snow covers the ground from November to April. The genus Livistona enters Southern Japan and Eastern Australia (up to 37 ° S lat.). The northernmost American palm growing in the southeastern United States, Sabal minor, is found in North Carolina, and Washingtonia filifera (Washingtonia filifera) grows in the desert oases of Southern California and Western Arizona on the Pacific coast. The border of distribution of the family in the southern hemisphere passes through the islands of Juan Fernandez - the island of Robinson Crusoe (southern Juania - Juania australis) and the coastal regions of Central Chile, Southeast Africa, as well as New Zealand and Chatham Island.
Palm trees are characteristic components of many tropical ecosystems. They are found in a variety of habitats - from seashores and mangroves to high slopes, from marshes and swampy forests to savannas and oases of hot deserts, in lowland and mountain rain forests and even in deciduous forests of warm-temperate regions. However, it is in the tropical climate that palm trees find the most favorable conditions for their growth. Most palms prefer moist and shady habitats - along rivers and streams, at the outlets of groundwater, in lowlands, periodically flooded after heavy rains or flooded with tidal waters, in swamps, where they often form extensive, almost clean thickets. Most palms grow in humid and hot lowlands, and in the mountains usually at low to medium altitudes, but some rise high in the mountains. The latter include the genus Ceroxylon, or wax palm (Ceroxylon), which is found in the Andes of South America in the belt of mists. Thus, C. quindiuense was found in Colombia at an altitude of almost 3000 m, and useful ceroxylon (C. utile) rises to an altitude of 4100 m above sea level on Chiles volcano, meeting near the border of eternal snow. Some palms, such as the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) or the Trinax and Pseudophoenix species in the Caribbean, are permanent inhabitants of the seaside. They are resistant to hurricane winds, salty sea spray, seawater flooding, at least for a short period of time. Palm trees often grow in swampy coastal forests and marshes, along the inner rim of mangroves, in estuaries and on low, tidal riverbanks.
Washingtonia species, date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), and some other palms are excellent indicators of soil moisture in arid, extremely arid regions, as they are found only in areas where there is a source of water - a spring, stream or shallow aquifer ... The date palm grows magnificently in the oases of the Sahara and the Libyan Desert, in Algeria, Arabia and southern Iran. Intense heat, extreme dryness of the air, lack of rainfall and even the sultry winds common in deserts are ideal conditions for cultivating the date palm. Moreover, it is not a xerophyte, since it is confined exclusively to oases. An Arabic proverb says: "The queen of the oasis bathes her feet in water, and her beautiful head in the fire of the sun." The date palm can also tolerate relatively low temperatures. It grows in areas where the absolute minimum temperature is -9 - -10 ° С almost every year, and in some years in some oases of the Sahara even -12 - -14 ° С. The date palm feels almost equally well on the loose sands of the Sahara and the Arabian Desert, and on the extremely heavy clays of the Iraqi interfluve, and on the stony soils of southern Iran. Its hardiness to soil salinity is especially striking. It sometimes grows on salt marshes, where the soil in summer is completely covered with white salt efflorescence.
Palm trees are the main components of palm savannahs in tropical Africa (for example, the Deleb palm tree, or Ethiopian Borassus - Borassus aethiopum and hyphaene species - Hyphaene) and in tropical America (Sabal species - Sabal, Copernicia species - Copernicia, etc.). Scorching heat and winds dry up the soil so much that few plants are able to survive. Palm trees, on the other hand, endure both prolonged flooding and a long dry season without visible damage. Palm trees found in savannas as well as in dry pine forests (for example, creeping saw - Serenoa repens) are surprisingly resistant to fires due to the absence of cambium. The non-falling leaf bases at the bottom of the stem in carnauba (Copernicia prunifera) form a layer that protects plants from fire damage and can also function as water-storing tissue. In a number of palms, such as borassus, the seedling burrows into the ground due to the strong elongation of the cotyledon.
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Palm trees have a characteristic appearance that allows them to be almost unmistakably distinguished from all other plants. They usually have a well-developed, straight, unbranched ligneous stem with a crown of large fan or feathery leaves at the top. There are several forms of growth of palms. While maintaining the unity of the building plan, the appearance of the palms is unusually diverse. Their stems can be sloping or climbing, creeping and underground, or spread out on the surface of the earth. Along with the most common tree-like forms, there are lianas, as well as shrub-like and so-called "stemless" palms, in which the aerial stem is greatly shortened or completely absent and only leaves rise above the ground (Fig. 231). However, most palms are tree-like plants with a tall slender columnar trunk (more precisely, a lignified stem-like stem), like Washingtonia or Corypha species, striking with their majestic appearance and exceptional correct proportions. Their height can reach (60 m, like the wax palm of Ceroxylon of Kindyo, and almost 1 m in diameter, like the Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), which is also called elephant palms for its size (Table 57, 4). Other low-growing palms with thin stems similar to bamboo or reeds and elongated internodes, they resemble miniature trees or shrubs.Dwarf palms are no more than half a meter high and as thick as a pencil (some types of Reinhardtia - Reinhardtia from tropical America), and tiny palm iguanura (Iguanura palmuncula) from the island and the dwarf siagrus (Syagrus lilliputiana) - a true treasure of the Paraguayan flora - - no more than 10 cm tall, resembling more grass, they are in stark contrast to the majestic "princes of the plant world", as Karl Linnaeus called the palm trees.
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The Egyptian dum-palma, or Hyphaene thebaica, and some other species of the Indo-African genus of Hyphane have an unusual appearance for palm trees: their stems usually branch dichotomously, giving the plants a characteristic appearance (Table 54, 4, Fig. 231). The dichotomy is also known in other members of the family, for example, in the South African Kaffir eubeopsis (Jubaeopsis caffra), the mazari palm and the bushy nipa or mangrove palm (Nypa fruticans). In the palm family, the dichotomy is apparently secondary. Non-dichotomy branching of creeping shoots, usually in the American serenoa palm. Isolated cases of branching in Chrysalidocarpus lutescens and some other palms are probably associated with damage to the apical bud. In a number of large palms, the trunks are bottle-shaped or barrel-shaped swollen. An example is the endemics of the Mascarene Islands bottle gioforbe (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, table 50, 2), bitter-stemmed gioforbe H. amaricaulis) and the famous barrigona (Colpothrinax wrightii), growing in the sandy savannas of Western Cuba and the island of Juventud (Table 53, 1). Its trunk is barrel-wide in the middle part, and when you look at it, one involuntarily suggests itself to be compared with an anaconda that has swallowed its prey. The African Deleb can have two or even three consecutive trunk extensions in the middle. The reasons for the appearance of such enlargements of the trunk and their biological significance are not yet completely clear. The stem of the pseudophoenix vinifera from the island of Haiti has the shape of a bottle, the long neck of which develops with the beginning of flowering. In sabal, localized narrowing of the stems is noted in years unfavorable for the growth of a palm tree, as a result of which its trunk resembles an hourglass. Iriartea ventricosa, Socratea exorrhiza, Fig. 242, and some other palms - inhabitants of swamps, flooded lowlands and mountain forests of the fog belt of tropical America - have a peculiar appearance. The stems of these plants are equipped with stilted roots up to 2.5 m high, dotted with thorny thorns - modified lateral roots. In the early stages of development, the internodes of the stems of these palms quickly elongate, forming an unstable inverse conical axis, which is supported by stilted roots. They are formed from the lower internodes of the stem and provide support to the plant. After the base of the stem dies off, the palm rests on these roots, as if on stilts. Many palms have the form of shrub growth due to the formation of numerous stems from axillary buds at the base of the stem or on underground side shoots - stolons or rhizomes. In the first case, a compact bundle of stems appears, in the latter, the stems appear at some distance from the plant, forming thickets (Fig. 231).
Species of the American genus Sabal, Rhopalostylis sapida, endemic to New Zealand, and some palms from the coconut subfamily have an underground stem, which at first grows obliquely down into the ground (to a depth of 1 - 1.5 m in Attalea funifera ), and then, suddenly changing direction, bends up (taking the shape of a saxophone), rises to the surface of the earth and forms an aerial stem in tree-like forms, like in Sabal palmetto, sometimes strongly shortened, like in a small sabal (Fig. 233 ), sometimes strongly curved and even twisted into a spiral, often S-shaped, from below with roots like ropes. When the vegetation is destroyed by fires in dry seasons, the underground stems of attalea and some other palms remain intact and soon produce new leaves. In the American oil palm (Elaeis oleifera), the old part of the trunk lays down, it is spread on the surface of the earth and is covered along its entire length with adventitious roots; the younger ascending part raises the crown of large feathery leaves to a height of 2 m. Since the oldest section of the stem dies and decays, the palm tree almost imperceptibly moves away from the place where it was planted - "walks", say the locals.
Among the palms there are climbing vines that reach the tops of the trees in the tropical rain forest (Table 56, 1). Their thin flexible stems with very long (sometimes almost 2 m) internodes and spread feathery leaves often reach more than 100 m in length, and in some species of calamus - up to 150 - 180 m. They climb with the help of modified leaves or sometimes inflorescences, firmly fixing itself, like an anchor, to the surrounding trees or shrubs, hanging between them with scallops. Climbing palms are found in all tropical areas. This form of growth arose independently in different groups of palms - in the New and Old Worlds. Rattan, or climbing, palms of the Old World, the most important of which are two large genera - calamus and demonorops (Daemonorops), are found in rainforest Asia, Australasia and Africa, but are especially diverse in the rain forests of Southeast Asia. Species of the genus Calamus are the largest and most specialized vines, forming dense, impenetrable thickets.
The vast majority of climbing vines are multi-stemmed plants, climbing stems usually arise from underground rhizomes, only Plectocomia has single stems. In Calamus, the seedling forms a rosette of leaves, from which several climbing stems rise.
Stems of palm trees are smooth, with annular scars from fallen leaves, like in the Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia), or covered with a layer of leaf sheaths and petioles, sometimes thorny, like in American Acrocomia and Bactris palms. The thin stems of the Astrocaryum vulgare, an inhabitant of dry forests in the Amazon and the Rio Negro, like other species of this genus, are armed with whorls of long sharp thorns. Straight or curved thorns on the stems of the Mexican dwarf cryosophila (Cryosophila nana), protecting the plant from being eaten by animals, are nothing more than modified adventitious roots with pointed hard root caps. In the lower part of the stem, common roots are sometimes formed. Root thorns also cover the trunks of the Amazonian palms of the prickly mauritia (Mauritia aculeata) and the armed mauritia (M. armatа). The extended stem base, characteristic of many palms, provides a solid foundation for a tall and powerful "column". Numerous rope-like adventitious roots extend from it. The primary root dies off early and is replaced by adventitious roots that appear on the lower internodes of the stems throughout the life of the palm. These roots are devoid of root spikelets; sometimes palms have mycorrhiza (coconut palm, peach palm - Bactris gasipaes - and others). Palm stems, always lignified and perennial, are composed of a crustal layer and numerous conductive bundles and fibers scattered in the main parenchyma. The fibers are tough, dark brown or black, often contain silica and are very hard. The vascular bundles are more concentrated towards the periphery of the stem, forming a much denser tissue than in the central part. This distribution of supporting fabrics provides maximum strength and stability to the trunk, although palms, due to the lack of cambium, do not form real wood like our regular dicotyledonous and coniferous trees. The design of the palm tree is in line with the best examples of civil engineering. The stalk of the palm grows to a considerable thickness as a result of primary growth that occurs immediately below the apical meristem, located in the center of a small cupped or saucer-shaped depression at the apex of the stalk. The apical bud of a palm tree (figuratively referred to as "palm cabbage" or "heart of a palm tree") - a creamy, juicy, curly mass of young leaves - resembles a cabbage in appearance. It is deeply hidden in the crown and is protected from forest herbivores by the bases of the leaves, usually thick, rough, with a sharp edge or with thorns. Palm stems sometimes thicken (as, for example, in the royal palm) due to the division and stretching of the cells of the main parenchyma and fibers that surround the vascular bundles. This growth is called diffuse secondary growth or sometimes "continuous primary growth" (J. T. Wathaus and C. J. Queenie, 1978).
The leaves of the palms are alternate, usually clearly dissected into a petiole and a blade. The lower part of the petiole is expanded into the vagina, partially or completely covering the stem. The petioles are usually long, but may be very short or even absent. Palm leaf blades are extremely varied in size, shape and dissection. Their size ranges from a few centimeters (12.5 cm in the Guatemalan chamedorea of Türkheim - Chamaedorea tuerckheimii) to the largest in the plant world: in royal raffia (Raphia regalis), their total length with a petiole is over 25 m. The famous "shadow palm" - the corypha Umbrella, or talipot palm (Corypha umbraculiferа) - has fan leaves up to 7 - 8 m long (petiole 2 - 3 m) and a diameter of 5 - 6 m. Its leaf is so large that it can shelter 15 - 20 people from the rain. The leaf blade in palms is complex, folded, fan or pinnate, in Caryota (Caryota) it is double pinnate; less often the plate is whole, not dissected into segments, palmate or peristonerous, and often bilobed at the apex (Fig. 232). Whole leaves of the American palm of manicaria saccifera (Manicaria saccifera), 9 - 10 m long and 1.5 - 2 m wide, jagged along the edge, under the influence of the wind they break improperly, like a banana. In fan leaves, rachis (stem) is greatly shortened. The plates are usually dissected into linear or lanceolate segments at various depths, sometimes almost to the base. The leaves of some species of the Malesian genus Licuala are palmate, dissected to the very base into narrow-wedge-shaped segments with an obtuse serrated apex, each consisting of several folds. In the so-called comb palms (for example, in species of the sabal genus), the rachis continues into a plate and extends for a certain distance, sometimes almost to the very top, forming the median crest of the leaf and bending its plate. It gives great strength to large leaves. Such leaves make up the transition from typical fan-shaped to feathery. Many fan and crested palms have a triangular outgrowth similar to a tongue at the top of the petiole at the point of its junction with the plate - gastula (Latin hastula - short end, dart, Fig. 232). It is usually present on the upper side of the plate, rarely on both sides. Sometimes the gastula reaches a considerable size.
The presence of a median crest, or a powerful midrib of the blade, is a characteristic feature of the palm leaf. Segments of fan leaves and feathers of cirrus leaves - with a noticeable midrib or with several veins and have numerous and thinner veins, usually parallel to the median, but sometimes radiating from the base or from the midrib and ending along the edge or at the toothed apex of the feathers.
Palms are divided into two large groups depending on the nature of the attachment of segments and feathers to the rachis (Fig. 232). In some palms, the segments and feathers are V-shaped in cross-section (having the shape of a groove), that is, induplicate, or folded upwards with a noticeable vein below at the point of attachment to the rachis; the plate ends with an unpaired apical segment or feather. In other palms, the segments and feathers are Λ-shaped (roof-shaped) in cross-section, that is, reduplicate, or folded down with a noticeable vein at the top; the plate ends with a pair of segments or feathers with a thread located sometimes between them, representing the end of the rachis. Both pinnate and fan leaves are laid as one piece, and all parts of the leaf develop from the original whole tissue. The leaves of the palms are leathery, tough. They are covered with a thick layer of cuticle, often with a waxy coating, which in some palms reaches a considerable thickness. Many palms have a cover of tiny scales or hairs that can fade with age. The leaf blade is mostly smooth, but some thorny palms have thorns on the rachis and feathers. There is also a great variety in the structure of the base of the palm leaf. Many palms have long, closed tubular sheaths. They are often not expressed in adulthood, although in the early stages of development they form closed tubes that cover the stem.
Since palms do not have a specialized covering tissue like the bark of dicotyledonous plants, the residual leaves that remain in many palms can serve as a protective function. In Washingtonia species, the trunk is covered with a "skirt" of old, dry leaves, which persists in natural conditions for many years, forming a strong column in old plants up to 2.5 m thick (Fig. 231).
Numerous flowers of palm trees, usually collected in large, highly branched lateral inflorescences. In most cases, these are panicles with spike-shaped, ear-shaped or fleshy thickened and cob-shaped branches. Inflorescences, like the stems and leaves of palm trees, often grow to considerable size. The giant apical inflorescence of the "shadow palm" - the coryphae of the umbrella - one of the largest in the plant world, reaches a length of 6 - 9 m. The female flowers of Phytelephas macrocarpa, mangrove palm, oil palm form heads. Rarely, the inflorescences are unbranched, spike-shaped (as in the species Licuala - Licuala or Geonoma - Geonoma). The vast majority of palms have axillary inflorescences; they develop among the leaves in the crown, like a coconut palm or sabal species, or below the crown, like a royal palm, opening only after the leaf falls. Unusual arrangement of inflorescences in species of calamus and close genera: in them, the inflorescence grows to the sheath of the above-lying leaf.
Most palms are polycarpics; they form lateral inflorescences in an ascending sequence during many years of life. But in relatively few palms, inflorescences appear at the top of the stem only once in a lifetime after a long period of vegetative growth, and after fruiting, the plant dies off. Such plants are called monocarpics. Only 16 genera of monocarpic palms are known, and all of them (with the exception of torch raffia - Raphia taedigera) are limited to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. It is curious that the monocarpic genus in general Metroxylon (Metroxylon) includes one polycarpic species, Metroxylon Tong (M. amicarum), and the beautiful-fruited demonorops (Daemonorops calicarpa) is the only monocarpic representative of the largest genus of rattan palms. Perhaps the most striking example of a monocarpic palm is the umbrella-bearing corypha growing in South India and on the island of Sri Lanka (Table 53, 5, 4). This majestic palm tree bears a crown of large fan-shaped leaves. At 40 - 70 years of life, the palm tree blooms, forming a giant apical paniculate inflorescence of many thousands of white flowers; branches of this huge "bouquet" reach a length of 3 - 5 m. For many years of growth in the central part of the trunk in huge quantities accumulate nutrients in the form of starch, which are necessary for the only reproductive explosion in the life of a palm. On the island of Sri Lanka, many specimens of this palm tree bloom at the same time.
A similar group bloom is also observed in the giant Malay mountain rattan Plectocomia griffithii.
The peduncle of palms bears a basal two-tibial pre-leaf (profile) and usually from one to several covering leaves, which enclose a young inflorescence and, when flowering, split longitudinally or burst. They are called sterile covering leaves, since they are not associated with flower axes, in contrast to fertile ones, covering the branches of the inflorescence at the base and terminal axes that bear flowers. Covering leaves are tubular or scaphoid, leathery, webbed, fibrous or sometimes even woody, smooth or woolly, sometimes prickly. They fall off when the inflorescence opens or remain on the peduncle (sometimes long after the fruit has formed). Their number varies in different groups of palms.
Flowers of palms are small and inconspicuous (a rare exception are large, 7-10 cm long, female flowers of phytelephus and Seychelles palm (Lodoicea maldivica, or L. sechellarum). They are usually sessile, sometimes even immersed in the fleshy axis of the inflorescence, rarely on short pedicels. Flowers are sometimes bisexual, but much more often unisexual; in the latter case, male and female flowers are similar or noticeably dimorphic, like in borassus and geonoma.Plants are usually monoecious, less often dioecious (for example, date palm, phytelefas and chamedorea species). In monoecious palms, male and female flowers are located in the same inflorescence, but are usually placed in different parts of the axis, like in a coconut palm, or collected in independent male and female inflorescences, sometimes in male and bisexual. 2 circles, or rarely spiral, or single-row and irregularly lobed, or rudimentary, and sometimes completely absent (in male flowers of phytelefas). perianth tents are loose or accrete, membranous, white, yellow, orange or red. The sepals and petals of the least specialized palms are similar, but much more often the sepals are smaller than the petals. There are usually 3 sepals, rarely 2 or 3 - 7 or more (in female flowers of phytelefas); they are free and tiled or accrete. The petals are usually the same as the sepals, free or accrete, usually valve in male flowers (less often accrete with free lobes) and tiled in female and bisexual flowers, sometimes with short-valve tops or rarely valve. There are usually 6 stamens located in 2 circles, rarely there are 3 (three-stalked wallichia - Wallichia triandra, mangrove palm, three-stamen areca - Aresa triandra) or much more than 6, but usually their number is a multiple of 3. Some specialized palms, for example, palandra (Palandra), there are from 120 to 950 - the largest number of stamens known in palms; they develop centrifugally. Polyandry (myogoticity) arose independently in different groups of palms. The filaments of the stamens are straight or bent at the top in the bud, free or variously fused together or adherent to the petals, or at the same time fused and adherent. Anthers attached at base or dorsum, rarely double or with separated pollen nests, straight or rarely twisted; they are opened by longitudinal slits. Pollen grains are most often mono-grooved, similar to the pollen of liliaceae, less often with a 3-ray groove, with 2 distal grooves, or 1 - 3-pore grooves. The pollen of nipa, annular and thorny, is different from that of all other palms. Female palm flowers often have staminodes - in the form of teeth, subulate or equipped with rudimentary anthers, free or sometimes accrete into a cupula or tube with a lobed or toothed apex and sometimes adherent to the petals. Gynoecium in the most primitive palms is apocarpous, of 1 - 3 (usually 3) carpels, but in most genera it is syncarpous, usually of 3 partially or completely accrete carpels, sometimes of 3 - 7 or 7 - 10; sometimes gynoecium is pseudo-monomeric with 2 reduced and 1 fertile nest and 1 ovule (as in Areca - Ares and many related genera). Most palms have septal nectaries located on the septa of the ovary. In some palms, they are small and, in terms of their position in the basal part of the ovary, are considered less specialized in this family (for example, in Sabal, Livistons - Livistona or Coryphas). In the pseudophenix, the septal nectary, located at the base of the carpels, opens outward in pores opposite each petal. In other palms, nectaries with long canals that open with pores on the upper surface of the gynoecium (in arenga - Arenga, patching - Latania) or between the carpels at the base of stigmas (in butia - Butia, MacArthur poultry - Ptychosperma macarthurii). The trachycarpus has a rudimentary nectar spot on the sides of the three free carpels facing the center of the flower. Squat chamerops (Chamaerops humilis) has a rudimentary nectary on the upper surface of the bowl, formed by the fused, expanded and thickened bases of filaments in the male flower. Columns are free or accrete, long or short, and thickened or imperceptible. The stigma is straight or curved, sometimes elongated, rarely indistinguishable, in the form of a slit on the carpel or two-combed. In each carpel or in each nest of the ovary there is usually 1 ovule (rarely with 1 or 2 additional ovules - in the nipa). When the fruit ripens, 2 out of 3 carpels are often underdeveloped. The ovules are anatropic, hemitropic, campylotropic, or orthotropic. Rudimentary gynoecium is sometimes absent in male flowers.
Carpels of palms exhibit many of the characteristics of the primitive carpels of flowering plants. They are often leaf-shaped, can be pedunculated, and are usually conduplicatively folded, often with open abdominal sutures and laminar or sublaminal placentations. In Trachycarpus Fortune, trichomes develop along and to some extent within the open ventral suture, as in some primitive dicotyledonous plants. The stigma is sessile or nearly sessile. The genus nipa differs from the rest of the palms in a peculiar asymmetric cup-shaped carpel with a funnel-shaped stigma hole, the wide inner surface of which unfolds and folds back during flowering. The combination of bisexual flowers and apocarp is found only in primitive genera belonging to the subfamily of Coryphas. The apocarp is also characteristic of the date palm and nipe. Along with the archaic structural features of the gynoecium inherent in some palms, many signs of high specialization can be observed in other representatives.
Palm trees are cross-pollinated plants with various adaptations that prevent self-pollination. The most reliable of these is dioeciousness, which is known in relatively few palms. In monoecious palms, the ripening of male and female flowers in the inflorescence is observed at different times, as a result of which the plant stays either in the male or in the female phase of flowering. These phases are sharply demarcated in time and, as a rule, do not overlap. The exceptions are palms, in which several inflorescences develop in the leaf axil (like in the arena) and male and female flowers can be opened simultaneously in different nodes of the stem, as well as bushy palms, in which asynchronous opening of flowers on different stems is possible. Dichogamy appears in palms in the form of both protandria and sometimes protogyny. Protandria is well pronounced in many palms (eg coconut and sago). Male flowers, which bloom first in the protandric inflorescence, are ephemeral. They usually open at dawn and fall off after a few hours. Female flowers remain receptive for several days. In triads, male flowers open sequentially, one after the other (rarely two male flowers are open at the same time), and only after they fall, often after a few days or even weeks, female flowers open. Blossoming of flowers arranged in vertical rows proceeds in a basipetal sequence: the upper flower falls before the next one blooms. This way of opening flowers in palms provides the plant with pollen for a longer period of time. Protogyny is much less common and is known, for example, in pipa, sabal saw palmetto and some palms pollinated by beetles.
Most palms appear to be pollinated by insects. Although the flowers of palms are small and, despite the sometimes brightly colored perianths, are usually inconspicuous, they are collected in large inflorescences that stand out noticeably against the background of dark green foliage. The flowers of many palms, such as the Clhamaedorea fragrans from the Peruvian Andes, are very fragrant. Sometimes palm pollen (like Acrocomia) has a characteristic odor or is brightly colored (like nipa). Bees, flies, hoverflies, fruit flies, beetles, thrips, moths, ants and other insects visit flowers for nectar, pollen, succulent flower tissue, or use the flower as a breeding ground, oviposition, and larval development. As a rule, a variety of insects are found in the flowers of palm trees, although not all of them are effective pollinators. Some palms are pollinated by beetles that feed on pollen and flower tissues. Various species of beetles carry out pollination, especially weevils (Curculionidae). Palms pollinated by beetles, as a rule, are protogynous and form a large amount of pollen, while their flowers are devoid of nectar. Weevils pollinate flowers of two species of Bactris in Costa Rica (Bactris large - Bactris major and Bactris Guinea - B. guineensis), thorny palms from the coconut subfamily. Like nipa, they are protogynous, and flowering begins with the opening in the afternoon of female flowers, which remain susceptible for 12 hours. Male flowers open 24 hours later than female flowers and emit a musky odor, attracting beetles that eat their large thick petals. When male flowers open and lose pollen, beetles, loaded with this pollen, move to newly opened inflorescences with susceptible female flowers, pollinating them. The abundant pollen of male flowers also feeds on cuckoo (Nitidulidae), bees, and fruit flies on the tissues of flowers. About 10% of visitors to bactris flowers are predatory beetles, rove beetles. The pollination mechanism of Bactris is very effective. Female flowers do not need to develop any special adaptations to attract pollinators and therefore can concentrate energy on their main function - the formation of fruits and seeds.
The pollination mechanism of Hydriastele microspadix from New Guinea is surprisingly similar to that just described. Hydriastela flowers are pollinated by weevils, which are found almost exclusively in the flowers of palm trees and are panthropic in their distribution (a remarkable example of the conjugate evolution of palms and insects). Weevils pollinate the flowers of Rhapidophyllum hystrix, a low shrub palm tree, which is called porcupine due to its numerous long (15 - 20 cm) sharp black needles on leaf sheaths. This palm tree grows in damp places and swamps of the coastal plain of the United States from South Florida to the Carolina. Short, tightly compressed inflorescences with 5 - 7 covering leaves are literally buried in a mass of needles and dark brown sheaths and never protrude even when the fruit is ripe. Male and to a lesser extent female flowers emit a musky odor. There is evidence of pollination by beetles of the flowers of a number of other palms. Beetles are found in closed male inflorescences of Ammandra, and the release of heat by flowers of phytelefas - a phenomenon often associated with beetle pollination - suggests cantharophilia in this genus. The milky white flowers of Johannesteijsmannia altifrons on the pale yellow velvety branches of the inflorescence partially hidden in the humus and plant debris accumulating at the base of the leaves of this "stemless" palm attract numerous insects with their sour milk and sewage scent. The flowers contain many beetles-lustrers (adults and larvae), rove beetles, as well as larvae of flies, thrips, ants, termites, beetles. In Ceratolobus, one of the most remarkable dioecious genera of rattan in the humid regions of Maleesia, the inflorescence is enclosed within a single cover leaf, which is opened by two tiny lateral slits at the apex. Numerous insects penetrate through them, attracted by the musty smell of flowers. In the inflorescences of the glaucous ceratolobus (C. glaucescens), an endangered species, the only small population of which is found in West Java, beetles, thrips and ants are abundant. The latter quickly colonize the inflorescences and the whole plant. They are attracted by nectar. In species with drooping inflorescences, pollen accumulates in abundance near the holes through which insects enter the inflorescence or get out. Ceratolobus flowers are closed from larger arthropod visitors, which cannot penetrate through small cracks. The "filter for pollinators" is also found in the American palmetto manicaria, the inflorescence of which is enclosed inside a saccular covering leaf with tiny holes between the fibers (Fig. 243).
However, there are many wind-pollinated plants among the palms. The date palm is a classic example. Under natural conditions, in the population of this dioecious plant, about half of the male specimens. A single cover leaf covers the entire inflorescence. The male and female flowers bloom as soon as the inflorescence is released from the cover leaf. Female flowers are apparently susceptible for 1 or 2 days. In culture, to obtain a sustainable harvest, the date palm is artificially pollinated by tying the cut branches of the male inflorescence to the top of the female. One male specimen is enough to pollinate 100 females. Artificial pollination was first applied by the ancient Assyrians and has been practiced for at least 3 or 4 millennia. This technique has survived to this day almost unchanged. Date palm pollen, which is produced in huge quantities, remains viable for one season or even 1 to 2 years. The fact that the pollen in palms retains its viability for a relatively long period of time was established for another dioecious wind-pollinated palm, the squat hamerops. In 1707, Joseph Kölreuter, whose name is associated with the doctrine of the field in plants, sent hamerops pollen taken from a male specimen in the botanical garden in Karlsruhe, simultaneously to Berlin and St. Petersburg. The gardener Ekleben pollinated an old specimen of this palm tree, brought back under Peter I and located in the greenhouse at the Summer Palace. Although the journey took several weeks, the pollen did not lose its germination ability and the plant produced abundant fruits.
Perianth reduction in Trinax (Thrinax), a primitive genus with bisexual flowers with apocarpous gynoecium, is undoubtedly associated with wind pollination (Fig. 235). The cover leaves are relatively thin and the inflorescence opens quickly. Especially remarkable is the rapid elongation of the branches of the inflorescence, which grow in length by 15 - 20 cm in 10 hours before the anthers open. The flowers are protandric. In the small-flowered trinax (T. parviflora), the anthers open early in the morning, and abundant dry powdery pollen covers the branches of the inflorescence. During the male phase of flowering, the lips of the double-lipped stigma of the single-fruited gynoecium are tightly pressed against each other, which reduces the possibility of self-pollination. The stigma moves apart 24 hours after the anthers are opened. The funnel-shaped canal of the carpel is open distally. Trinax has been found to have pollen grains on the ovule in the nest, which is unusual for flowering plants. The open channel of the column appears to be a direct entrance for wind-carried pollen. Self-pollination occurs frequently and successfully, as indicated by abundant fruit setting on isolated specimens.
Until now, botanists have no consensus regarding the pollination of the coconut palm, one of the most studied palms. This plant is apparently pollinated by both insects and wind. Small male flowers open first around 6 am and fall off at noon. Female flowers are susceptible for several days. The female flowering phase lasts 4-7 days. In addition, the flowers of the coconut tree are visited by birds - sunbirds and parrots, which feed on pollen. In a dwarf variety of this palm on the Malacca Peninsula, male and female flowers open, as a rule, at the same time, and self-pollination prevails here. In the smooth-covered butia (Butia leiospatha), an inhabitant of the Cerrados of Brazil, like the coconut palm, wind pollination is combined with insect pollination. Its flowers are visited by wasps, flies, and weevils and glitterlings grow in inflorescences. They use closed inflorescences and young fruits as egg-laying sites.
Self-pollination is also known in some palms. The bisexual flowers of the tall corypha (Sorpha elata) are self-compatible. Abundant setting of fruits with fertile seeds as a result of self-pollination is quite common in isolated cultivated specimens, which is of particular importance in connection with the monocarp of this species. In the rattan palm tree demonorops kunstleri (Daemonorops kunstleri), most of the fruits and seeds are formed, apparently, parthenogenetically.
The fruits of the palms are extremely varied. Their size ranges from a few millimeters to half a meter in the Seychelles palm, the fruits of which are among the largest in the plant world. In nipa, phytelefas and oil palm, the fruits are collected in large compact heads. Fruits are usually 1-seeded, but sometimes 2, 3 - 10-seeded. They represent a dry or fleshy syncarpous drupe with an endocarp adherent to the seed or free, less often fruits, berry-like (for example, dates can serve). At the base, the fruits are often surrounded by a growing and hardening perianth. The vast majority of palms have non-opening fruits. Only in a few species, when ripe, they split at the apex (Microcoelum - Microcoelum, Lithocarium - Lytocaryum, Socratea salazarii), and in Astrocarium species (Astrocarуum) they open completely, exposing sometimes brightly colored pulp.
The mesocarp of the fetus is juicy, sometimes with abundant needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate, often oily, juicy, fibrous or dry. The endocarp, enclosing the seed, is thin, cartilaginous or membranous, sometimes with a lid above the embryo (as in Clinostigma), or thick, horny or bony, then often with 3 or rarely more germinating pores (as in the coconut palm and other related childbirth). The number of pores corresponds to the number of carpels, and their location (in the middle, below or above the middle of the endocarp) corresponds to the position of the ovule micropyle. In a single-seeded fruit, only one of the pores functions, opposite to the ovule of the fertile carpel. The endocarp is sometimes provided with longitudinal ribs, while in the Seychelles palm it is deeply 2-, sometimes 3-, 4- and even 6-lobed. Palm seeds are very diverse in size and shape. Their size ranges from just a few millimeters to the largest in the plant world - 30 or 45 cm in the Seychelles palm. The seed coat is thin, smooth or fleshy (like the herring - Salacca), loose or fused with the endocarp. Endosperm is abundant, homogeneous or ruminated, in immature seeds it is often liquid or jelly-like, then it becomes very hard, and in some palm species it is a source of plant “ivory” (phytelefas is large-fruited, hyphane is swollen - Hyphaene ventricosa, etc.). The endosperm contains a large amount of oil and protein. The embryo is small, cylindrical or conical. Several palm species have polyembryony.
Palm seeds do not have a dormant period, the embryo grows continuously. Seed germination can begin while the fruit is still attached to the plant. The embryo does not stop growing even while the seeds are spreading. In Malay villages, you can often see the sprouting of coconuts suspended from the posts of huts. The embryo receives water and nutrients from the endosperm. Seedling roots growing in the fibrous mesocarp are able to absorb rainwater seeping through the peel. However, the juicy pericarp (for example, in Livistona) inhibits or prevents the germination of the seed. When stored, seeds tend to lose germination quickly. They should be sown shortly after harvest. The exception is pseudophenix, whose "long-lived" seeds germinate after two years of storage. This ability to germinate after a long dry period is probably essential for survival in arid conditions such as sands and porous limestone in the Caribbean. Palm seeds germinate underground, with the exception of nipa, in which seeds germinate on plants or floating fruits. The cotyledon never opens up as a green photosynthetic organ, since its tip remains immersed in the endosperm of the seed and is modified into a sucking organ, the haustorium. It dissolves and absorbs nutrients from the endosperm to support the growth of the embryo until the young plant forms leaves. In many palms, the cotyledon, when emerging from the seed, elongates in the form of a cotyledon tube and buries the seedling in the ground to a certain depth, which may be adaptive for palms growing in savannahs. The deepening of the cotyledon into the soil in different types of palms occurs at an unequal depth, which is largely determined by the habitat conditions. Deeper into the soil, the lower part of the cotyledon grows in the form of a tubular sheath at some distance from the fetus.
In palms, three types of seed germination are known (Fig. 233). In species with a noticeable elongation of the cotyledon, the seedling is distant from the seed and haustorium. In the date palm, trachycarpus, coryphae, the lower part of the cotyledon grows underground in the form of a long tubular sheath, and a shoot emerges from the cotyledon fissure formed in its upper part. In sabal, washingtonia, jubaea, the cotyledon in the lower part is expanded in the form of a much shorter tubular sheath, which forms a uvula in the upper part. In archontophenix, coconut palm and some other palms, the cotyledon lengthens only enough to carry the embryo out of the endocarp. The lower part of the cotyledon, immediately upon exiting the seed, expands in the form of a bell, forming a tongue. An embryo begins to germinate from the base of the cotyledon, parts of which are closely adjacent to the haustorium.
The fruits of many palms, juicy and brightly colored, are distributed by animals. Their main distributors are birds, although a wide variety of animals - from rodents to monkeys - also feed on the fruits of palm trees and distribute seeds. Large birds swallow the fruit whole, throwing out undamaged seeds near the palm trees or, more often, transferring them a certain distance. Some birds, in particular pigeons, apparently played a large role in the spread of the range of palms. So, thanks to them, and also, obviously, the oceanic currents, Pritchardia penetrated the Hawaiian Islands. The birds apparently introduced the seeds of the royal Haitian palm (Roystonea hispaniolana) to Little Inagua Island (Bahamas), where palm trees were recently discovered growing on the bottom of several large karst sinkholes. The list of palms, the fruits of which birds feed on, is quite large. Predatory mammals such as jackals, the Malayan palm marten and civets feed on the fruits of karyotes in Java. Palm civets, wild pigs feed on the fruits of the sugar palm (Arenga pinnata), and the black-armed and dwarf gibbons in Indonesia eat the mature fruits of the arenga (A. obtusifolia). Food for gibbons is also the fruits of rattan palms - calamus and demonorops. Baboons feed on the fruits of the Egyptian doom palm. In ancient Egypt, Thoth, the god of wisdom, the patron of sciences, was revered in the form of an ibis or baboon, and since baboons often feed on the fruits of the doom palm, she became the sacred tree of Thoth. Images of baboons on palms are found in the paintings that covered the walls of ancient tombs. Monkeys are attracted by the fruits of the date palm Phoenix roebelenii in Laos, the American palms of manicaria and maximiliana maripa, as well as the African oil palm.
Bats play an important role in the spread of fruits of some palms, which, like birds, can spread seeds over long distances. Large (15 - 20 cm in diameter) drupes of the Deleb, or Ethiopian Borassus, are the favorite food of the African elephant. It is to him that the palm owes its distribution throughout tropical Africa. The elephant eats the fruits, and the endocarp with the seeds enclosed in them are thrown out intact along with the excrement. However, the presence of the genus in Madagascar, New Guinea and, possibly, even in Australia, where there are no elephants, according to Harold Moore (1973), excludes the assumption of the conjugate evolution of elephants and Borassus, as well as the closely related small genus Borassodendron. The African layers also feed on the smaller fruits of the hyphana bloated, growing in the hot dry valleys of southern Zambia, and the African wild date palm (Phoenix reclinata). The fruits of palm trees that have fallen to the ground are eaten by tapirs, deer, fallow deer, bakers, goats, and cattle. Coyotes and gray foxes feed on the fruits of washingtonia filamentous. Squirrels and numerous rodents (paca, mice, rats) also take part in the distribution of fruits and seeds. They often drag the fruits to the nests or put them somewhere in the reserve, while some of the seeds are lost along the way or remain unused for some reason. In Brazil, rodents burrow the fruits of Attalea funifera and Orbignya barbosiana in underground burrows, where their germination is stimulated by high temperatures due to the annual savanna fires. Fragrant fruit pulp and seeds with juicy skin of edible herring (Salacca edulis), an almost stemless, very thorny palm tree on the islands of the Malay Archipelago, attract not only rodents and birds, but also monitor lizards and turtles. The fruits of the Astrocaryum vulgare serve as food for fish, and the fish also eat the fruits of the Geonoma schottiana in South America.
Despite the abundant fruiting of palms, their fruits and seeds are often predatory destroyed by beetles and other insects, tree mice and rats, pigs and crabs. There is a close biological relationship between the coconut tree and the huge crab called the palm thief (Birgus latro). It feeds on the pulp of unripe coconuts: breaking the fibers, with powerful pincers punches a hole in the area of the “soft” eye, pulls out the pulp, sometimes breaking the endocarp with blows against the stones. The crab not only destroys fruits that have fallen to the ground, but, as you know, even climbs on a palm tree, knocking down coconuts. The crab lives on the tropical islands of the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean - in the area of distribution of the coconut palm. Chemical analysis of its fat has shown that it resembles coconut oil, having little to do with animal fat. This crab also feeds on the small juicy fruits of another palm, the Arenga listeri, which is endemic to Christmas Island.
Sea currents, rivers and streams, torrential streams play an important role in the spread of seeds and fruits of a number of palms. Water contributes to the spread of species that inhabit the banks of rivers, such as meandering mauritia (Mauritia fiexuosa), and many other palms found in abundance on the banks of the "palm" Amazon River, Orinoco and their tributaries, as well as inhabitants of swamps and swampy forests (such as raffia and metroxilone). The fruits and seeds of a number of palms are picked up by the floods. The floating fruits of the coconut palm, nipa, pritchardia, sabal palmetto and others are carried by sea currents. Sometimes the fruits become buoyant only when they dry, like in Pseudophoenix sargentii, or when the seeds are destroyed. The fruits of manicaria are highly buoyant. Falling, they burrow into detritus or are carried by rivers far into the sea, however, they cannot withstand a long stay in salt water and soon collapse. Fruits with rotten or dry seeds can be carried by currents. They are found in large numbers on the beaches of the West Indies, on the Turke Islands (the southeastern tip of the Bahamas) and even on the west coast of Scotland. Of the seeds that have reached the Terke Islands, no more than 1 - 2% retain the ability to germinate.
A large role in the spread of many palms was played by man, especially such vital ones for him as coconut, oil, date, sugar, etc.
The classification of palms is based mainly on the structure of the gynoecium and the fruit, the type of inflorescence, the nature of the arrangement of flowers on the axes of the inflorescence, the number of covering leaves. Most modern authors accept the division of palms into 9 subfamilies: Coryphae (Coryphoideae), Phoenix (Phoenicoideae), Borasso (Borassoideae), Caryote (Caryotoideae), Nip (Nypoideae), Lepidocaryoideae (Lepidocaryoideae) and) phytelephantine (Phytelephantoideae). With the exception of the largest and most heterogeneous subfamily of the Arecaceae, which will obviously be subdivided in the future, they are all natural, well-distinguished groups of palms. The American palmologist Harold Moore (1973) divided the family into 15 large groups (without specifying their taxonomic rank), representing 5 evolutionary lines in the palm family; 8 of these groups fully correspond to the accepted subfamilies; the remaining 7 groups together constitute the subfamily of arecaceae, while most of them coincide (partially or completely) with individual tribes, and the group of arecoid palms embraces many tribes in palm classification systems. These large divisions of palms often correspond to those distinguished by P. Tomlinson (1961) on the basis of comparative anatomy data.
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Areca palm or Areca catechu
Poisonous!
The Latin name is Areca catechu.
Palms - Agesaseae (Palmae).
Parts used - fruits, leaves.
Pharmacy name - seeds of areca palm - Agesae semen (formerly Semen Arecae).
Botanical description
Palm tree with feathery leaves, up to 30m tall, with a straight smooth trunk, 30-50cm thick. On the trunk there are annular scars that remain on the palm tree after the fallen leaves. A young palm tree has up to 5 leaves, and an adult one from 8 to 12. Leaves are alternate, pinnate, with their leafy sheaths they cover the trunk of the palm tree. One leaf of a palm tree lives no more than 2 years. Leaflets are lanceolate, smooth, pointed, from 30 to 70 cm long.
The palm tree begins to bloom from 5-6 years of age. Male flowers are collected near the top, and female at the base of the inflorescences, which are an ear, and later become paniculate, up to 1.3 m long. One inflorescence contains 300-500 flowers. The flowers are creamy whitish in color. Pollen is carried by insects and wind.
Fruits are red, yellow or orange in color, 5-7 cm long, reminiscent of a chicken, have a rounded shape, with a hard shell and one hard seed, which is called "betel nut". Under the skin is dry, fibrous pulp that should not be eaten. The seed grows tightly with the endosperm and is the main constituent of the betel nut.
A palm tree lives 60-100 years. It is found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, the Malay Archipelago and in many other tropical areas (it is also cultivated there). Areca palm is cultivated for its seeds, which, together with lime, are wrapped in betel leaves and chewed by the local population.
Active ingredients
Arecoline and other alkaloids, tannins, mucus, resin, fat.
Healing action and application
Formerly a favorite anthelmintic, especially in veterinary medicine; less commonly used for diarrhea. Poisoning already from 8-10g of pharmaceutical goods.
Areca palm or catechu is used in medicine, in veterinary practice, as a remedy for the treatment of skin diseases of fungal and protozoal origin, as a good anti-diarrhea and antihelminthic agent. palms have antiseptic properties.
The fruits of the areca palm are used to make betel gum. For the treatment of respiratory diseases, catechu palm oil is used (inhalation, rinsing).
Contraindications
With frequent use, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea may appear, and disorders of the nervous system may occur. One of the main side effects is the emerging drug addiction. Due to the use of this substance, a person's mood is significantly improved, a slight euphoria appears. Also, with prolonged use, heart problems appear, since these are strong biostimulants. Poisoning already from 8-10g of pharmaceutical goods. When used in large doses, it causes paralysis and.
With prolonged chewing of betel gum, the mouth becomes red. The saliva that is produced at the same time must be spat out, cannot be swallowed, otherwise it can lead to intestinal disorders. This view medicines very poisonous. It is necessary to approach with great caution in its use and use, in order to avoid causing harm to the entire body.
Coconut is an exotic, amazing fruit that many people like for its unusual taste and amazing delicate aroma. For those who are fans of this product, in our article we want to talk about how and where coconuts grow.
The history of the emergence of coconut
Before we start talking about where coconuts grow, it is worth mentioning the history of this amazing plant. Oddly enough, it is still not known exactly how such interesting palm trees appeared on the planet. But there are a number of legends, assumptions regarding this issue. How correct they are is difficult to judge. However, all botanists are still inclined to believe that the plant has a very old origin, its history goes back to those distant times when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.
Coconut fruits have an interesting property - they are incredibly lightweight and waterproof. Since trees grow on the coasts of the oceans, ripe nuts fall into the water and are carried by currents to all corners of the planet. Almost all versions say that southeast Asia, India, California, islands in the Pacific Ocean can be considered the birthplace of coconut palms. An interesting fact is that fossilized coconuts were found in New Zealand, and palm trees are also known to have been growing in India for 4000 years. Therefore, some scientists are inclined to believe that the shores of the Indian Ocean can be considered the birthplace of the plant. In general, there are many opinions, and they are all quite different. However, it is reliably known that the plant grows in the equatorial belt.
And coconuts? It would seem that it is easy to answer this question: "Where it is warm ..." This judgment is partly true. But not all readers are aware that coconuts grow in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Central and South America. In total, the plant is widespread and yields safely in 89 countries of the world.
Ocean coasts are where coconuts grow naturally. As we mentioned, this has to do with their way of moving through the water. But nowadays, coconut palms grow in many countries far from the coast, which is already the result of human activities.
Coconut palm
The uniqueness of the coconut palm lies in the fact that it is the only and unique representative of the Coconut genus, belonging to the Palm family. There are only intraspecific varieties. The size of the plant is considered the basis for classification.
They are distinguished by tall coconut palms, which are widely used for commercial and domestic cultivation. The height of such plants is 25-30 meters. Such palms grow slowly in adulthood, and begin to bear fruit 6-10 years after planting. An interesting fact is that the coconut tree bears fruit for sixty years, and sometimes even longer. Each plant produces dozens of nuts each year. These palms are cross-pollinated and are therefore planted in groups.
Dwarf plants
Dwarf palms (coconut) grow up to only ten meters in height, start bearing fruit in three years, as soon as they reach one meter. Plants live much shorter lives than their larger counterparts - only 30-40 years. Such palms are self-pollinating, and therefore they do not need relatives in the neighborhood.
Root system of palm trees
Sometimes people wonder where coconuts grow: on a tree or on the ground? Do not confuse pineapples, which actually grow on the ground, with coconuts, which grow on palms.
It should be understood that where coconuts grow, any other plant would quickly die. And palms feel well for decades thanks to their root system. The peculiarity of plants is that they do not have tap roots, but they are armed with many fibrous roots, which together look like a broom. And they grow from a thickening at the bottom of the trunk. The outer roots spread over a horizontal surface, while the inner ones go down, penetrating to a depth of ten meters.
It is this unusual structure of the roots that allows palm trees to grow well on the sandy coast, which is subject to wind, ebb and flow. But even such a system is sometimes not enough. Quite often you can see bizarre plants with curved trunks and washed roots from the soil.
Plant structure
The trunk of the plant has no branches; it grows from one apical bud. It is called the heart of the coconut. It is a collection of folded leaf buds. The trunk at the base in adulthood reaches eighty centimeters in diameter. The rest of the trunk has the same diameter - forty centimeters. I must say that in the first years the plant develops very quickly and can give a 1.5-meter growth in a year. But over time, the palm tree matures and begins to slow down in growth and adds only 10-15 centimeters. The trunk of the plant does not have a cambium, and therefore it cannot repair damaged tissues. If a plant loses a single bud, then this leads to its death.
But adult palms grow 18,000 vascular bundles on their trunk, which help them withstand significant damage. We have already mentioned that in those regions where coconuts grow, storms, winds, ebbs and flows are frequent, and plants are sometimes injured.
The first leaves of the future palm tree, sprouting from the nut, look like feathers. Only after the first 8-10 leaves do the real ones begin to grow. An adult plant produces 12-16 new leaves per year.
At the same time, up to 30-40 of them grow on a palm tree. A mature coconut leaf is 3-4 meters long and is divided into 200-250 stripes. It remains on the trunk for three years, after which it disappears. And this leaves a scar on the tree. From such scars, you can determine the approximate age of the plant. To do this, divide the number of scars by thirteen. This will be the approximate age of the coconut tree.
Flowering plant
Where do coconuts grow? On the tree, cob-shaped inflorescences are formed, each of which is located in the bosom and have male and female flowers. There are always more men than women. Four months after the separation of the leaf, the rudiment of the inflorescence appears, and the flowers themselves grow after another 22 months. And a year later, the very shell of the inflorescence will open. First, male flowers bloom, and only then female flowers. Roughly 50-70 percent of flowers are not pollinated, especially in dry weather. And from the pollinated, fruits develop that ripen within a year.
What is the fruit?
The fruits of the coconut themselves are fibrous drupes. Young walnut on the outside has a smooth green or reddish-brown surface. Ripe fruits are covered with fibers, which are successfully used in various sectors of the national economy, and then there is a waterproof shell inside. It protects the core. It is thanks to this shell that coconuts travel the world. The inside of the nut is covered with pulp (12 millimeters), and in the very center there is a liquid.
Where do coconuts grow?
We mentioned that the equatorial belt is the typical habitat for plants. Where bananas and coconuts grow, there they have long been industrial crops that are grown for further sale and processing. Plants not only decorate the coast, but are also planted in huge plantations.
For example, India is known as the birthplace of spices. However, the country is not only engaged in their cultivation. At first glance, it is difficult to tell where coconuts grow in India. Yes, in principle, everywhere, including the famous Goa, it is an island with a suitable climate and geographical position for growing coconut trees and fruits. There is a huge number of plantations on which coconuts grow.
For example, the Pascoal plantation, located near the village of Khandepar, borders the tributary of the Mandovi River. The owners of the land are engaged not only in the cultivation of coconuts, spices, nuts and mangoes, but also receive tourists. There were built cottages where guests can stay. Excursions are conducted around the plantation, during which you can learn about how crops grow, what they do with them and what they are for.
In addition, there are a number of similar coconut farms on the island. These are the plantations "Savoy", "Sakahari", etc.
On the mainland, coconut trees also grow everywhere. However, there are some peculiarities. For example, in the central part of India, plants grow to the height of a five-story building, and the fruits themselves reach the size of a human head. This coconut weighs up to two kilograms.
But to the south, palms grow much lower, but at the same time their fruits are smaller. In general, it should be noted that coconuts grow almost everywhere in India. Here they are very fond of and products made from them are widely used in life.
Where do coconuts grow? In New Zealand, China, Cambodia, Mozambique, Guinea, Cameroon ... The list of countries is incredibly long. In general, we can say that the plant grows in areas with a tropical climate, which is a real paradise for coconut trees.
Coconuts in Russia
In Russia? This plant can be found here exclusively in botanical gardens or miniature versions - in home greenhouses. Of course, waiting for fruiting at home is unlikely to work, but there may be a small exotic plant in the house. If you really want to plant a coconut, then the best place for it is a greenhouse. The very process of leaving is quite troublesome, but if you really want to, it's still worth a try. The most suitable are two types: nut-bearing and Wedel. A high-quality ripe fruit must be half immersed in the ground and wait for the shoots to appear. After a while, shoots will appear from the coconut, which will turn into leaves. And later, a wide trunk will begin to form from them.
Plant care
The plant loves warmth, but not extreme heat. The optimum temperature is considered to be 20 degrees. The coconut tree will need additional lighting. It is also worth remembering that the plant loves moisture, and therefore needs daily spraying and abundant watering during the warm period. The palm tree should not be disturbed once again, and even more so to transplant, since it is possible to disturb the root system.
It is worth noting that coconuts are very common all over the world. They are absent only on the European continent. Of the European countries, the plant is found only in Spain, and even then not on the mainland, but on the Canary Islands, located near Morocco in Africa.
Instead of an afterword
Concluding the conversation about where coconuts grow (photos are given by us in the article), I would like to say that the plant is associated in our imagination with white sandy beaches and the ocean, and therefore attracts with its exoticism. But do not forget that the fruit itself is incredibly useful. It is not for nothing that it is so popular in places of growth. Its pulp and oil are actively used in cooking. And nut milk is tasty and healthy. Of course, in our latitudes it is difficult to buy really tasty and good fruit, since for transportation coconuts are often removed while still green. Yes, and during transportation, coconuts deteriorate. But if you happen to visit tropical countries, be sure to try a real ripe fruit, you will surely appreciate its taste and aroma.