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P alms are icons of the Tropics, but their range and impact extend far beyond the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. In
nature, palm fruits are important food resources for many species of wild animals. Wherever they occur, palms are used
by local people for construction materials, thatch, fiber, food, oils, wax, sugar and alcohol. A few palms have become agro-
nomic crops and enter into world commerce: palm oil and palm kernel oil (from the fruits and seeds, respectively, of the
African Oil Palm, Elaeis guineensis), coconut and coconut oil (from Cocos nucifera), dates (Phoenix dactylifera), rattans (various
species) and carnauba wax (Copernicia prunifera). A Brazilian palm fruit known as açaí has recently gone international. Here
in South Florida, palms are important ornamental landscape plants. They enhance the lush look of South Florida.
Because palms are so important, both ecologically and culturally, this guide was prepared to interpret the palms growing
around the pond, east of Viertes Haus (VH), south of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) and west of Owa Ehan (OE).
These same palm species, along with several others, are found throughout the campus, but this guide is limited to the palms
in this area.
The Campus Palm Guide was made possible by grant from the South Florida Palm Society. www.southfloridapalmsociety.org.
Dictyosperma album –
The Princess Palm is
native to the Mas-
carene Islands of the
Indian Ocean. Their
graceful, pinnate
leaves and ease of
culture make this
palm a popular
choice for landscape
designers.
Dypsis decaryi – The Triangle Palm gets its common
name from its three-sided crown of leaves. Its native
habitat is a narrow transition zone between rainforest
and spiny desert in southern Madagascar.
Phoenix roebelenii –
From the Mekong
River of Southeast
Asia comes the
Pygmy Date Palm, a
small palm that can
have either a solitary
trunk or multiple
trunks. Beware of the
long spines at the
base each leaf; they
inflict wounds that
are prone to infec-
tion. The trunk has
knobby projections
that are distinctive to
this species.
Phoenix rupicola –
The Cliff Date
Palm is native to
India and Bhutan.
The trunk is al-
ways solitary, and
the flattened
fronds twist so
that the leaflets
are held perpendi-
cular to the sky.
Syagrus romanzoffi-
ana – The Queen
Palm is cultivated
throughout Florida
and southern Califor-
nia because it is
cold-hardy and easy
to grow. It is native
to southern Brazil,
Paraguay, Uruguay
and northeastern Ar-
gentina. The Queen
Palm is a relative of
the coconut and, like
the coconut, has oily
seeds.
Text & photos: © Scott Zona, Ph.D., Dept. of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199 USA.