You would find a dozen palm tree species in Florida alone.
Each palm species is distinguishable in terms of height, leaves, trunks, and growth habits.
In this article
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How many kinds of palm trees are in Florida?
But really, there are just 12 native palm trees which originated in Florida.
All else come from Southeast Asia and South America.
Nonetheless, the many unique palm species found in Florida makes it a legitimate palm tree state.
What are the 12 native palm trees in Florida?
Nonetheless, here is a list of the listed native palm trees in Florida.
How do I identify a palm tree in Florida?
There are some specific identifiers that would help you identify a palm tree.
Here are some of the characteristics that you should look for to identify a palm tree.
They are bushy, large leaf bases on the palm stem.
Coconuts do not have this, so it is a strong palm identifier.
Fronds
Different species of palm trees have different frond appearances.
Fruits
Some palms do not have fruits, but most have one.
They bear coconuts, betel nuts, or even acai berries.
If you find any of these in a palm like tree, that is a palm.
The trunks surface is spiney or rough at the base and becomes smoot as you reach the top.
Others have straight trunks while others would have tapered ones.
Flowers
Palm trees grow flowers discreetly.
They come in white, white and grayish colors.
Some come with scents while others do not.
When you spot a flower on a palm, it means that it will grow coconuts after.
1.African Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)
This one is more than just an ornamental palm.
It is also culturally significant in many African tribes.
It grows in between 20-60ft.
It produces tiny flowers that will grow into red oval fruits at 4cm in size.
The red fruit turns black when ripe and is oily.
This is where the oil palm is extracted.
It has a smooth trunk, multi-stemmed with a middle bulge, and has a unique self-cleaning nature.
Its leaves are pinnate with an arching growth habit.
Its fronds can grow to up to 8ft with a height in between 20-40ft.
It is relatively cold hardy, thriving even at 4C.
It highly resembles bamboo, which grows at a clumping manner.
It has a smooth trunk, sometimes golden in color.
It has slim and narrow fronds.
Arecas grows slowly and are best planted during spring and are best grown in containers.
It grows at 10-30ft in height and 8-15ft in width.
Its palmate leaves can extend to up to 10ft, and a crown cover of up to 22ft.
In terms of height, it could grow to up to 20ft.
5.Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe Lagenicaulis)
This one gets its name from its bottle shape trunk.
So, although it is a small sized palm, it looks wide and bulky.
This makes it unique from the spindle fan palm with a swelling in the middle.
It is identifiable for its long fronds with that grows in an arching habit.
The trunk is swollen but smooth and its surface has ringed patterns.
It can be grown in containers so it could be taken indoors during winter.
7.Cabbage Palm (Sabal Palmetto)
It is also called the swamp palm or blue palmetto.
It is native to the Bahamas, Cuba and in Florida.
As a matter of fact, it is the state tree of Florida.
It stands high at 65ft.
It is salt, drought and snow tolerant.
It is loved because it is practically disease-free.
Its leaf is fan-shaped at the tip, with white and fragrant flowers and black, edible fruits.
As the name suggests, it is native to the Canary Islands.
Its trunk looks like a large pineapple that can grow to up to 30ft in diameter.
It has sharp pines by its base so be careful down there.
It grows ornamental white-gray flowers and yellow, edible fruits after bloom time.
It can grow to up to 50ft with a spread of 12ft.
It has a bluish-green leaf that grows long at 6ft, round and segmented.
It produces yellow flowers and blue-green to black fruits after it blooms.
As a matter of fact, it is considered as the most popular dwarf palm out there.
Its max height is 25ft distinguishable for its upward arching, large pinnate leaves.
It is called the Christmas palm because it produces bright red fruits during the winter.
It is the symbol of island life.
It is one of the most grown palms in Florida growing at a maximum of 80ft.
It can also be grown in containers growing at 20ft.
It often has a bushy top containing 30 pinnate leaves and at least 200 leaflets.
It only takes 4-6 years for one to harvest coconuts.
It is drought-tolerant, growing in between 8-20ft at a width of 10-35ft.
It is low maintenance, with leaves that are blue-green in color with shiny undersides.
It thrives well in subtropical to tropical climates.
It has a single, slender, and smooth trunk growing in between 6-20ft.
It has beautiful deep blue-green leaves that are silver underneath.
It also produces inedible purple palm fruits.
It is a slow-growing palm which can grow at 20ft.
It thrives best in subtropical climates making it a good ornamental, container palm for landscapes in South Florida.
It can also thrive in coastal regions and in colder climates.
It is a medium-sized palm with a distinguishable slivery-white trunk with arching fronds.
It gets its name from the branch growth habit resembling a foxtail.
It is fast-growing and can be mistaken for the royal palm.
It could grow to up to 30ft.
It is also known for its fibrous trunk and tiny, white fruits.
It is a Florida native growing in between 3-36ft.
It is cold-hardy as it could thrive on temperatures that are as low as -1C.
The leaves are silver-green, with a coarse texture and an upward growth habit.
It is more famously known as the Latan palm found in coastal parks because of its high salt tolerance.
18.Mexican Palm Tree (Washingtonia Robusta)
It is also called as the Mexican washingtonia.
At maximum, it grows tall at 82ft.
It grows dates-like fruits that are edible but not as nutty as the real dates.
19.Montgomery Palm (Veitchia arecina)
It originated in Vanuatu with a moderate drought tolerance.
It is a fast-growing palm with a slim trunk that resembles the Christmas palm.
It has reduplicating, pinnate leaves, with a drooping nature.
It grows a lot in southwest Florida, with feathered fronds and grows in between 25-25ft.
It is native to Florida and is considered as one of the hardiest palm species in the state.
It is unique for its fan-shaped fronds creating a round crown at the base of the tree.
It also has a notable thick trunk and grows at only 4ft tall.
It has slender stems resembling a reed.
Each stem contains 6-7 pinnate leaves that can look bushy.
Overall, it grows to just about 9ft.
when grown outdoors and 6ft when grown in a container indoors.
It is also a very low maintenance palm that can survive in dark spaces.
22.Paurotis Palm (Acoelorrhaphe Wrightii)
This one is native to Central America and Mexico.
In Florida, it grows near swamps because it loves dense and sandy soils.
The fronds alone can grow to up to 30ft with beautiful fan shaped leaves extending at 3ft.
The trunk is unique for its fibrous mats of red-brown color.
The leaves are deep green in color with a silver glow underneath.
It grows fruits but they are not edible.
It has leaves and branches that look like coconut palm and could grow at up to 60ft.
It is multi-trunk and is moderately cold hardy but extremely wind tolerant.
It is a slow-growing palm species with a max height of up to 20ft.
They make beautiful ornamental palms.
It is identifiable for its long and bushy pinnate fronds and its single stem.
The fronds are also arching down.
It is a valuable ornamental tree that is perfect for subtropical gardens because they can also grow in containers.
It produces date-like fruits but are not edible.
It is a fast-growing, single trunk palm which grows at up to 50ft.
The leaves are glossy, pinnate shapes, forming multiple leaflets on the crown.
It has a shade cover of 25ft making it a good landscape tree.
It blooms flowers during the summer, followed by yellow, sticky fruits.
It grows in between 30-45ft and thrives well in tropical to subtropical climates.
It is native to Australia but is endemic in central and southern Florida.
It grows in a single stem, and a smooth trunk that grows straight.
This low maintenance palm can survive for up to 100 years and could tolerate various climate conditions.
The leaves are curved and its trunk is ringed.
It could grow in between 45-90ft with a trunk that grows to up to 18ft.
They are generally located in the coastal areas of central and southern Florida.
It is a medium sized palm growing at just 10ft.
It grows all around Florida and is relatively cold hardy as it could tolerate temperatures of up to 6C.
It blooms yellow-white flowers and dark red palm fruits.
This species is only native to Florida and a cold-hardy species that can tolerate temperatures at -12C.
It is a small sized palm growing at just 7ft.
It naturalized well in Southern Florida because it loves moderately moist and well-draining soil.
It grows at 40ft and a thick trunk at 18-inches.
It has beautiful silver green leaves that can grow at 4ft long.
It is low maintenance for landscapes because it is a slow-growing palm.
Once the roots are established, it can tolerate colder temperatures (up to -9.5C).
It is the cousin of the Canary Island palm.
It grows to a maximum of 50ft.
Smaller varieties can grow to just 13ft.
It is distinguishable for its large, pinnate, and arching leaves growing out from a single stem.
It is considered as one of the hardiest palm tree species.
It has a palmate, fan shaped leaves extending out in random directions, resonating a windmill.
It grows up to 66ft, with a long and slender trunk.
FAQs
Why are there no coconuts on palm trees in Florida?
There are some palm trees that grow coconuts.
The tropical climate of Florida allows coconuts to thrive.
What is the most expensive palm tree in Florida?
It grows to up to 110ft and requires 40 years of growth before it could produce flowers.
A 6ft Coco de Mer palm tree cost $330 and up.
Related:How Much Do Palm Trees Cost?
How long do palm trees live in Florida?
Depending on the species, palm trees in Florida live at an average of 80 years.
What is the fastest growing palm tree in Florida?
It is the Carpentaria palm.
It is the fastest-growing palm tree in Florida, reaching full maturity in just 5-6 years.
It is a medium-sized palm and is the cousin of the Veitchia species.
Both are native to Australia but have long been naturalized in South Florida.
What city in Florida has the most number of palm trees?
Naples, and we have mentioned it previously.
According to official reports, Naples has more palm trees than other tree species.
Which other US states have the most number of native palm trees?
Conclusion
Palm trees are extraordinary ornamental plants.
