Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Arecaceae
open-in-new
<p>The Arecaceae is a <a href="/facts/Family_(biology)/qTrn6E8E">family</a> of <a href="/facts/Perennial_plant/MQ3NvAUW">perennial</a>, <a href="/facts/Flowering_plant/E5eGYIvY">flowering plants</a> in the <a href="/facts/Monocotyledon/mXCuuCYo">monocot</a> order <a href="/facts/Arecales/YdwvX2Gk">Arecales</a>. Their growth form can be <a href="/facts/Climbing_palm/9Rz1bjvs">climbers</a>, <a href="/facts/Shrub/X1gKVxL5">shrubs</a>, <a href="/facts/Tree/HVVn3srN">tree</a>-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially called palm trees. Currently, 181 <a href="/facts/Genus/m8EFjSms">genera</a> with around 2,600 <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> are known, most of which are restricted to <a href="/facts/Tropics/Iv1es8Ih">tropical</a> and <a href="/facts/Subtropics/gK0KyFUD">subtropical</a> climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, <a href="/facts/Evergreen/bcLptUdV">evergreen</a> leaves, known as <a href="/facts/Frond/msza4qEa">fronds</a>, arranged at the top of an unbranched stem, except for the <a href="/facts/Hyphaene/G1U9fIYv">Hyphaene</a> genus, who has branched palms. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of <a href="/facts/Habitat_(ecology)/zo1DN2gA">habitat</a> within their range, from <a href="/facts/Rainforest/IEY5TMEc">rainforests</a> to <a href="/facts/Desert/Mknp4bXq">deserts</a>. </p><p>Palms are among the best known and most extensively <a href="/facts/Horticulture/m8qBLuT3">cultivated</a> plant families. They have been important to humans throughout much of history, especially in regions like the Middle East and North Africa. A wide range of common products and foods are derived from palms. In contemporary times, palms are also widely used in landscaping. In many historical cultures, because of their importance as food, palms were <a href="/facts/Palm_branch_(symbol)/uNR3EBBf">symbols</a> for such ideas as victory, peace, and fertility. </p>