By: Patricia Polo/Contributing Writer
Florida’s warm, humid climate and abundant rainfall make it a fitting environment for palm trees, even though only a dozen kinds are native to the state.
“People view Florida as a tropical paradise, and people have brought in non-native palm trees to symbolize the tropics,” said Michael Ross, an environmental researcher at the University.
“Florida has imported palm trees from all parts of the world including Asia and South America. The Coconut Palm is not a native species in Florida but is something that everyone likes to see.”
It also is one of the most attractive and most valuable of the species. Its wood is pressed to extract oils for dyes and finishes and it is a key component in parquet flooring and furniture.
“The Coconut Palm produces more than 60 coconuts a year,” Ross said. “[It] can be used to make medicine for problems in the heart, kidney and liver. Other uses can be for food, candles, soap and an array of products.”
Florida has more imported palm trees than native palm trees.
“Native palm trees in Florida include only 12 palm tree species,” said Scott Zona, green house curator at the Departnemt of Biological Sciences. “Some of them are the Paurotis, Needle, Cabbage, Thatch, Silver and Royal palms.”
“The Paurotis Palm grows in the wetlands prominently,” Zona said. “It is the most widely distributed in the Everglades.
“The Needle Palm is a trunk-less palm that is small and shrubby and grows up to five feet. It’s popular in Florida’s landscape for both residential and commercial. Thatch Palm is used to make tiki huts and the Silver Palm grows in the pine forest.”
“The Cabbage Palm is also called the Sabal Palm and it is Florida’s official state tree,” Zona said. “The Cabbage Palm produces heart of palm that is like an artichoke. It is edible and used to put in salads. However, extracting the heart kills the species of the palm and eventually the palm dies.”
Palm trees are remarkably resistant to high winds and floods, which is why many palm trees in Florida remain after hurricanes and tropical storms.
They play an ecological role by bearing fruit for animals. Many palm trees like the Thatch and Silver palms produce small fruit, Ross said.
Some palm trees are on Florida’s endangered list due to commercial development, natural events and construction in developing areas.
Some endangered palm trees are Florida’s Royal Palm, Silver Palm, and Thatch Palm. Florida and federal laws protect endangered palm trees. Offenders face legal ramifications from the state and federal level. Tourists can’t imagine the Florida state tree being anything but a palm and Floridians see the palm as a huge tourist attraction that brings revenue into the Sunshine State. And researchers like Zona and Ross have a third angle of vision.
“For tourists in Florida palm trees symbolize a tropical environment that seems romantic,” Ross said.
When people think of a palm tree they also tend to think relaxation.
“For most people palm trees signify sun-drenched beaches, vacations, stress-free living and Margaritaville,” Zona said.
“But palm trees are also a fascinating evolutionary lineage of flowering plants, with enormous diversity and important ecological roles.”
This story was researched and written for JOU 3300 Advanced News Writing taught by Dr. Fred Blevens in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. You can see this and other class work by going to The News Wave.
Interesting and informative. Enjoyed the article.