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Palm family
Arecaceae
ヤシ科
A family including coconut palms, Livistona palms, and Trachycarpus palms. About 2,600 species are found in tropical to subtropical regions, most being unbranched single-trunked trees. Coconuts, dates, and palm oil are deeply tied to human life. In Japan, Livistona chinensis grows natively in the Nansei Islands.
Key Characteristics
- ●Trunk is unbranched, with large pinnate or palmate leaves clustered only at the apex
- ●Leaf scars remain on the trunk
- ●Flowers are small, trimerous, borne in spadix inflorescences
- ●Fruits are drupes or berries, often large
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Compound
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Compound type
Bipinnate / Palmate / Pinnate
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
4 petals / 5 petals / 6 petals / Many
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Arecales > Arecaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (about 80–70 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Establishment of the single-trunk arborescent growth strategy unique to monocots
- ・Evolution of dispersal via large animals through large fruits
Plants in Palm family on this site
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