Often, the type of palm plants can be seen on the sea coast of popular resorts or as decorative elements in the interior of a home. At the same time, decorative representatives of this family have no less exotic appearance than their relatives growing in their natural environment. In this article, we will look at what a palm tree is and what types of this plant exist.
General description of the species
Palms are one of the oldest plant species. Initially, the traditional method of reproduction for them was seed. As a rule, in the natural environment, these plants are able to grow up to 10 meters. An exception is considered to be a palm tree, which is a recognized symbol of Colombia. The name of the palm is "Wax". It can grow up to 50 meters in height.
The very name of this plant species comes from the Latin palma, which literally translates as "hand" or "palm". It was not chosen randomly, as the tree's foliage resembles a human brush in its shape.
What is a palm tree and what are its distinctive features
Some types of ornamental palms do well without intense light and can grow in shade. Such plants are great for building exotic corners in the interior of the house, landscaping loggias and hallways. The type of palm trees is very diverse. To date, over 2800 varieties of this plant are known to science. The main distinguishing feature of this culture is the unique arrangement of the leaves. Unlike other species, palm leaves are located at the very top. But in nature there are also those whose leaf plates come from the very roots.
In addition, decorative palm trees intended for growing at home are divided into several types. This is due to differences in the structure of the leaves and trunk. They are divided as follows:
- Reed - experts include Hamedorei and Rapusy to this species. A distinctive feature of these plants is their thin and rather high trunk, outwardly very similar to the stem of a young reed.
- Pinnate - the type of palm that has received the greatest popularity among flower growers. It includes Hamedorea elegant, Forester, Gomuti, Raffia. In addition, the species includes the very popular date palm, a tree that almost every grower knows. This type of palm is distinguished by narrow, arched leaves that can grow upwards or at right angles.
- Fan. What is a fan palm is knownmany, because this type is often used to decorate the halls of administrative buildings, hotels and restaurants. This variety includes Hamerops, Rapis and Washingtonia. In this species, the trunk is divided into several segments, extending from the center and acquiring the form of a round fan. Such palms have thorns at the cuttings and grow to quite large sizes.
- Sago. This type is a false palm, but has the appearance of real ones. For decoration, only one type is grown - the cycad turned away. The plant has a low cone-shaped stem, from which long feathery leaf blades extend.
Main features of care and cultivation
The most important parameter when growing palm trees is air humidity and room illumination. This is due to the fact that the plant in its natural environment grows exclusively in a humid tropical climate in conditions of abundant light. Unfortunately, this crop is quite difficult to grow in rooms with central heating. The air in them is often too dry, and this can have a strong negative effect on the palm tree and even lead to death. Therefore, before you start breeding, you need to study the features of palm care well.
Moisture and watering
The main principle of care is regular irrigation of palm leaves. This procedure is no less important than watering. It is noteworthy that the palm tree is capable ofsurvive for quite a long time without proper watering, but it will definitely not tolerate dry air and will die.
This crop needs to be watered twice a week during the summer. It should be done using warm water. In winter, when the room is heated, spraying should be done daily. It should be noted that it is best to irrigate a palm tree with distilled water, since running tap water contains chlorine impurities that will damage the leaves and leave whitish marks on them.
Sheet plates are sprayed both from the surface and from the inside. The palm tree requires moderate watering so that the soil is always slightly moist. During the growing season, the plant requires more intensive watering, which should be carried out on a daily basis. During the winter months, the palm tree requires less water, so it is watered no more than three times a week. It is noteworthy that for irrigation, as well as for spraying, you cannot use tap water, but only distilled water.
Required temperature and features of the room
Palm is a representative of the tropical fauna, and therefore, in indoor growing conditions, it also requires heat. The optimal conditions for species such as, for example, Chamerops, Trachycarpus, Washingtonia will be a temperature of 15 degrees. Absolutely all types of this crop do not like drafts, and the root system is vulnerable to cold, so it is not recommended to place a container with a plant on a cold floor or an unsealed windowsill. The ideal option would be the corner of a warm, well-lit room.
Palms not for growing at home
Many amateur flower growers often wonder which palm trees are not intended for indoor cultivation. The answer to this question lies in the size of plants, their requirements for climate and natural features. At home, it is impossible to breed, for example, Oilseed, whose homeland is Africa. This is a huge tree - a palm tree, which is impossible to grow at home because of its size, sometimes reaching 30 meters. Also not adapted to the conditions of the room is Creeping Serenou, which grows in South America and the Caribbean. In height, this species is able to reach 4 meters.
In addition, it is impossible to breed at home: Carnauba palm, which has disgraced leaves that form a magnificent beautiful scarf, Bismarckia, whose homeland is Madagascar and Calamus, whose leaves grow from buds on the stem. It is noteworthy that Calamus has the title of the longest plant in the world.
Palms have come to the dwellings of people from bygone eras. When the "designers" of antiquity learned what a palm tree is, what exquisite decorative qualities it has, they began to use it in the arrangement of royal palaces and galleries. Today, this plant can be found in the homes of almost every grower. It transforms the interior and creates an exotic yet cozy space.
