Palm trees are a type of plant used both to decorate gardens and parks, and sometimes also in orchards. And it is that although there are few that produce edible fruit, all of them have an ornamental value which, in my opinion, is very high. Whichever species is chosen, with her you will get there tropicalize your garden or your housebecause its slender trunks and large leaves are very different from those of the most common plants.
Now well, you may be wondering what do fruit palms bear, what is it called or if there are different types. So if you want to know, stay with me cause I’ll tell you everything you want to know.
Contents
What are the fruits of palm trees?
A palm is a plant which, when it begins to bear fruit, can produce many fruits. These take from a few weeks to several months to mature, depending mainly on the climate and the size they will have. Thus, date palms (phoenix dactylifera) or canaries (phoenix canariensis) take very little time: they flower in spring and in summer the seeds begin to fall; but for example the coconut (cocos nucifera) takes much longer: up to six months.
But, What are the fruits of these plants called? Well, a lot will depend on the type of fruit we are talking about:
- Coconut: as its name suggests, it is the fruit of the coconut tree (cocos nucifera). It has a round shape and a thick shell with three darker spots called germination points. The pulp is white and edible.
- coquito: in Latin America the fruits of Butia are known by this name. These are round, about 1 centimeter in diameter and have a yellow skin. This is suitable for consumption.
- Date: the date is the fruit of palm trees of the genus Phoenix, such as the date palm, the robelina or the canary palm. It has a more or less elongated shape, and measures more or less 1 or 2 centimeters long and about 0.5 cm wide. These are edible, except the seed which is very hard.
- Others: When a palm bears an inedible fruit, it is simply called a fruit. Its shape and size may vary depending on the species. For instance:
- Archontophoenix: it has small fruits, 1 centimeter long and about 0.5 cm wide, which protect slightly smaller seeds.
- Raffia: These African palms produce fruit with a shell that closely resembles pangolin skin, except for the color, which is red rather than brown. They are about 2 to 3 centimeters long by 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide.
- Ravenea: similar to those of Archontophoenix, with a rounder shape and a red carapace.
What are palm fruits used for?
The fruits of palm trees have been used by man for centuries. For instance, dates serve as food for those who live or cross the desert, a place where the drought is so intense and so long that they have to fend for themselves if they want to survive. But even inedible ones are today very interesting especially for collectors.
And it is that often a rare palm tree, even if it is very young and therefore small, can reach exorbitant prices; so to save a little money, we sometimes choose to buy seeds, which can also be very expensive, yes, but in the end it pays off.
How are palm trees planted?
Related article:
How to plant palm trees
To germinate palm seeds, it is important that, first they are introduced into a glass with water, where they will be left for 24 hours. This will be used to know if they are viable, in which case they will sink, or if on the contrary they are not.
The next day a nursery will be filled -pot, seed trays, or milk cans previously washed with soap and water- with growing medium, such as universal or seedbeds (on sale here). You need to make sure that whatever you are using to sow has a hole in its base, otherwise the seeds could rot due to excess moisture.
The next step is water the earth, and bury the seeds a little. Care must be taken that they are not completely exposed to the weather, unless it is a coconut, in which case it will have to be exposed so that it can germinate.
Ultimately, The seedbed will be kept in an area with temperatures of around 20-25ºCand it will be watered so that the soil always remains moist, otherwise the seeds will dry out and cease to be viable.
How long do they take to germinate?
Image – Wikimedia/Kumar83
This will depend on how fresh the seeds are and when they are planted, as well as of course the species of palm in question. To give you an idea, the most common, such as Phoenix, Chamaerops and Washingtonia, take a short time to germinate: about two weeks if sown after harvesting fruit.
But there are others, like Syagrus, Sabal, or Juabea, which take much longer: 3, 4 months, see more. For this reason, patience is a virtue that cannot be missing when growing palm trees.