TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL	previous taxon | next taxon Jepson Interchange (more information)
	©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California Print edition is available from the University of California Press

	The second edition of The Jepson Manual (2012) is available from the University of California Press
	See also the Jepson eFlora, which parallels the Second Edition

ARECACEAE

PALM FAMILY

Elizabeth McClintock

Shrub, tree, evergreen, monoecious, dioecious, or flowers bisexual
Stem: trunk generally ± erect, unbranched
Leaves splitting to be palmately or pinnately dissected or compound, alternate, forming a terminal crown, large; base sheathing; petiole often long
Inflorescence: generally large panicle, axillary; peduncle sheathed by 1 or more large bracts; flowers many, generally ± sessile
Flower generally small, ± radial; sepals and petals generally 3, sometimes similar, fused at base or free; stamens generally 6; pistils 1 or 3, ovaries superior, generally 3, (if 1, chambers generally 3), styles free or fused
Fruit: often a drupe
Seed 1
Genera in family: ± 200 genera, 3,000 species: tropical, subtropical; many cultivated, especially for ornamental
Reference: [Uhl & Dransfield 1987 Genera Palmarum]
Used for food (fats, oils, fruits, seeds) and building materials.