2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The word "palm" is associated with people living in a temperate climatic zone, with hot sun, salty sea waves, sandy shores and nostalgia for the desired vacation with such a landscape. If in many historical cultures palm trees were symbols of fertility, peace and victory, then for most modern Europeans and Russians, palm trees are a symbol of the tropics and cloudless vacations
Of all the variety of flora on our planet, palm trees are the most easily recognizable plants. Their unbranched stems-trunks, directed to the heavens, in their upper part are decorated with large evergreen complex leaves, forming a picturesque openwork crown. Although in the external appearance of palm trees, the number of species of which on the globe exceeds two and a half thousand, of course, exceptions from the general order occur.
Palm trees are the most famous and widely cultivated plants on Earth since ancient times. They are so multifunctional that they manage to provide a person with food, participate in the creation of a roof over his head, are suitable for the production of furniture and household utensils, are used in religious rituals, support human strength and health, and decorate the landscape.
Palm tree - a resident of the tropics
The vast majority of palms live in the tropics, where summer reigns all year round. The tropics with high air humidity can boast of the largest variety of species.
The island of Madagascar is a unique community of different types of palm trees. Moreover, the number of endemic species, that is, those species that naturally grow only on this island, exceeds the number of endemic palms on the entire African continent.
And Colombia is in the lead in the variety of species of palm trees growing in the wild in the territory of one country. The palm tree, popularly referred to as the "Wax Palm" (lat. Ceroxylon quindiuense), growing only in this country, is the national tree of Colombia.
Among the man-made palm parks, there is a variety of species collected from all over the planet and numbering more than a thousand species, Madame Nong Nooch Park, located near the Thai resort town of Pattaya.
Palm Sunday
When Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, symbolizing meekness, people greeted him with palm branches, which were a symbol of joy and celebration among the ancient Jews. In those legendary times, noble persons were greeted with palm branches in their hands. In addition, the winners were awarded with palm branches.
Since most of Russia does not belong to the tropics, and palm trees on its territory can be found only in the south, palm branches were replaced by willow branches, which are the first among other Russian plants to bloom in spring. Therefore, Orthodox Russians celebrate the feast of the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem with willow branches in their hands.
The variety and grandeur of palm trees
In addition to the fantastic diversity that amazes and delights people, palms love to stand out from other plants on the planet, demonstrating the highest height among the community of monocotyledonous plants; the largest dimensions of the sheet plate; the largest inflorescences and the largest and heaviest seeds.
* Wax palm - which has already been mentioned above, the national tree of Colombia, is the tallest tree among the community of monocotyledonous plants, rushing to the heavens at a height of 70 meters.
* Raffian palm - grows in Africa, including the island of Madagascar. The species "Raffia regalis" has the longest leaves in the plant kingdom. Their length reaches 25 meters and a width of up to 3 meters. It is interesting that some species of this genus die after fruit ripening, considering their mission on the planet fulfilled.
* Umbrella palm, or Corypha - has the longest inflorescences, reaching 7, 5 meters in length and formed by millions of small flowers.
* Seychelles palm - a relict species that remembers very ancient geological epochs and has the largest seeds. Its fruits, which weigh up to 18 kilograms, take 7 to 10 years to fully ripen.
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Areca Palm, Or Bethel Palm
Areca tanning (lat.Areca catechu), or Areca palm, or Betel palm - a type species of plants of the genus Areca from the family of the same name Arecaceae (Latin Arecaceae), or Palm (Latin Palmaceae). The palm tree is famous for its fruits, which are popularly called nuts.
Tomatoes: So That Guests From The Tropics Take Root In Our Beds
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Although the Hibiscus plant is a relative of our home-grown Malva, people want exotic things so much that they sometimes prefer it, leaving Malva in place behind the hedge of the site. She looks through the picket fence, watching the hardships of the care of a thermophilic plant, and grins sadly at the simplicity of her soul
The Oil Palm And Its Criticized Oil
One of the many types of scenic palms on our wonderful planet is the Oil Palm. The petioles of its long feathery leaves are armed with sharp thorns, which discourage the desire to get to the scarlet fruit clusters. Fortunately, there is such an assistant as the wind, which is not an obstacle to thorns. Strong gusts of wind thin out a dense accumulation of reddish-orange fruits, which, breaking away from the friendly community, are trying to hide in the grassy growth, making its way through the stones of the barrel
Date Palm And Dates
In a fit of creative enthusiasm, the Almighty created a wide variety of plant species of the Palm family. Although the palm tree is usually associated with a warm climate, there are species that can withstand temperatures as low as minus 12 degrees. But, perhaps, one of the most valuable among relatives is the Date palm, the fruits of which are called "bread of the desert"