Palm Trees and Cycads

Palm trees do a lot to mentally take us to the tropics. When we think of Hawaii and the Philippines we probably think of the coconut palms. Of course there are a few other Palms there as well. There are also a huge number from the new world and areas that are cold enough that you wouldn't expect to see a palm survive at all. There are palms that will survive all of the temperatures in the teens and more.

Thinking about microclimates, there are quite a few places where hardy palms that will grow in places that are just not thought of as palm tree territory. In the foothills of the Sierra's there is a banana belt that gets little or no frost. The citrus and avocado growers have found these zones and planted them heavily with their fruit trees but palms will do there famously. Where they can't go outside they are often used as houseplants.

There are palms native to California, Texas, Arizona and Mexico. The palms of the Mediterranean do fantastically on the coast and in the inland valleys out of the coldest microclimates. Date palms are grown commercially in the desert near Palm Springs.

And then there are the palm look-alikes such as the Sago Palm or the Blue Cycad which are actually conifers or more specifically Cycads and rather closely allied with the pines and not a palm tree at all.

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Arecastrum romanzofianum - Queen Palm

Arenga engleri - Dwarf Sugar Palm, Formosa Palm

Brahea armata - Mexican Blue Palm, Blue Hesper Palm

Butia capitata - Pindo Palm, Jelly Palm

Caryota mitis - Clustered Fishtail Palm

Caryota urens - Wine Palm, Jaggery Palm, Sago Palm, Toddy Palm, Kittul Tree

Chamaedorea siefritzii - Bamboo Palm

Chamaerops excelsa = Washingtonia filifera

Chamaerops humilis - Mediterranian Fan Palm

Cycas revoluta - Sago Palm

Encephalartos horridus * Blue Cycad

Howea forsteriana - Kentia Palm, Paradise Palm, Sentry Palm

Phoenix canariensis - Canary Island Date Palm

Phoenix reclinata - Senegal Date Palm

Phoenix roebelenii - Pygmy Date Palm

Ravenea rivularis - Majesty Palm, Majestic Palm

Rhapis excelsa - Lady Palm

Sabal palmetto - Cabbage Palm, Blue Palm

Serenoa repens - Saw palmetto

Syagrus romanzoffianum - Queen Palm

Trachycarpus fortunei - Chinese Windmill Palm

Washingtonia filifera - California Native Fan Palm

Washingtonia robusta - Mexican Fan Palm