Common Name: PALM FAMILY
Habit: [Subshrub, shrub], tree, evergreen; dioecious (monoecious), or flowers bisexual. Stem: erect [subterranean, creeping, climbing], slender to massive, smooth or covered with fibrous or prickly remains of leaf bases. Leaf: palmately or pinnately dissected or compound, alternate, forming a terminal crown; base sheathing; petiole generally long; blade including leaflets folded lengthwise. Inflorescence: panicle (spike), axillary; peduncle sheathed by 1+ large bracts; flowers many, generally +- sessile. Flower: generally small, +- radial; sepals, petals each generally 3, similar or not, fused at base or free; stamens generally 6; pistils 1, compound, or 3, simple, ovaries superior, if 1, generally 3-chambered, styles free or fused. Fruit: generally a drupe, fleshy or dry. Seed: generally 1.
Genera In Family: 1914 genera, 2500 species: tropics, subtropics. Note: Cultivated worldwide for food, ornamental, building material.
eFlora Treatment Author: Scott Simono
Scientific Editor: Bruce G. Baldwin.