Palms and palm-like plants

Palm, areca( Agaveceae) - one of the largest and oldest families of monocotyled angiosperms. Palms have been introduced into culture since time immemorial. Images of these plants are forever imprinted on ancient Egyptian and Sumerian murals. In Arabia and North Africa, the date palm is revered as a sacred plant. The German botanist Carl Friedrich Martius, who studied palm trees for many years, wrote these words: "In palm trees, there is an eternally born youth;in the palms I revive. "The great Swedish naturalist Karl Linnaeus called them "princes of the vegetable kingdom".It is difficult to find a person who is indifferent to these plants. They shake the imagination with their majestic look and sophistication.

The palm family includes up to 2,800 species distributed in the tropical, equatorial and subtropical zones of the Earth. Maximum diversity is observed in the lowland forests of Southeast Asia and South America. In the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, palms form almost pure communities. Africa and Australia are relatively poor in palm trees. The unique appearance of these plants is associated with the characteristics of growth. They have a straight unbranched trunk, crowned with a crown of large feathery or fan leaves. However, among the palms there are also undersized branching shrubs, with bamboo-like stems.

This is, for example, hamedoroya, geonoma, dip-sis, etc. And, finally, all known rattan palms, of flexible stems of which make country chairs and chairs, are typical lianas.

All palms can be conditionally divided into 2 groups: feathery and peristolic. The scientific systematics of the family is much more complicated( nine groups are distinguished in the rank of subfamilies).In special manuals are placed keys for determining a particular species. By selecting suitable combinations of characteristics, you can easily determine an unknown for you species. It should be remembered that the range of flower shops and companies is becoming more and more diverse every year, so descriptions of some species you may not find in older editions.

It's hard to imagine a collection of a plant lover in which there would be no palm trees. These plants, like no other, create a complete, luxurious view of the tropical composition. It is very easy to care for most kinds of palm trees. Many species are tolerated and with unfavorable factors of premises: lack of light, air dryness, drafts, dust. For most species, the optimum temperature is 18-20 ° C, and in the resting period 6-12 ° C.Water should be applied as the soil dries, without flooding. Water from the pallets always need to be drained, since the palms do not tolerate water stagnation at the roots. Water better with soft warm water, no lower than room temperature( or better if the water is several degrees warmer: + 25-30 ° C).Transplantation of young specimens once every 2-3 years, in the spring. The old palms are transplanted when the pots begin to crack or rot the wooden tubs in which they grew. Nevertheless, for older plants it is recommended to replace the top layer of soil every year, if no transplant is planned. During the period of active growth of the plant, it is necessary to feed up fertilizer abundantly. There are also such kinds of palm trees, which can be grown only in greenhouse conditions. Remember that most of the palms are large trees and after a while before you there may be a problem of their placement. Propagation of palms mainly seeds. This applies, first of all, to non-branching forms. The problem is that these palms have only one apical growth point. If you damage a single kidney, the plant will die. Shrub palms reproduce and vegetatively.

Below are descriptions of only those species that feel good in a living room environment. After the description, the requirements for Courtship are listed.and reproduction.