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Okay, so stupid question for the day, but why when you go to a beach or a tropical location or country, why do palm trees out in the wild never have skirts? Is it the winds there? Is it something to do with the animals there that perhaps pick the dead palms off? It just seems odd that you can go to these places and clearly they are not maintained by people but somehow never have skirts.
Okay, so stupid question for the day, but why when you go to a beach or a tropical location or country, why do palm trees out in the wild never have skirts? Is it the winds there? Is it something to do with the animals there that perhaps pick the dead palms off? It just seems odd that you can go to these places and clearly they are not maintained by people but somehow never have skirts.
Palm fronds have always been very valuable. In Jamaica the poor people will climb those trees to get them and sell them. They make shelters and palapas(sp?). I assume a good hurricane or tropical storm could blow them down easily too. If you go deep into nature I am assuming you will see some overgrown ones.
My theory: They are different species than what we have here. Ours are mostly Mexican fans and California fans that are desert adapted. The skirts protect the growth areas of the palm from heat and sunlight.
Okay, so stupid question for the day, but why when you go to a beach or a tropical location or country, why do palm trees out in the wild never have skirts?
Considering that there are about 2800 different palm species, you cannot expect them all to be alike. I am going to guess that you are familiar with Washingtonia palms, which naturally hold onto their old fronds, forming a "skirt", unless burned off, blown off in a storm or otherwise removed.
Coconut palms are likely to be what you are speaking of in referring to palms at the beach. They do not naturally hold a "skirt" as they shed their old, dead fronds.
I thought you were going to ask why don't palm trees have coconuts.
None that I have ever seen have a coconut and that seems unfair.
I am sure it has something to do with where that kind of palm tree grows, but since you brought up the palm tree question, I always wondered about the lack of coconuts.
Considering that there are about 2800 different palm species, you cannot expect them all to be alike. I am going to guess that you are familiar with Washingtonia palms, which naturally hold onto their old fronds, forming a "skirt", unless burned off, blown off in a storm or otherwise removed.
Coconut palms are likely to be what you are speaking of in referring to palms at the beach. They do not naturally hold a "skirt" as they shed their old, dead fronds.
Correct answer above. Palms trees come in many varieties. Some lose their old leaves which fall off immediately or with a little wind. Others like the Mexican palm and California palm which happens to be the only palm native to CA in the low deserts keep their old leave on which eventually forms a skirt. The lower leaves do eventually fall off naturally.
One thing I'd like to mention is that palm trees do not have fronds. They have leaves. Only ferns have fronds that I'm aware of.
These are California fan palms Washingtonia filifera in their natural environment somewhere in the lower desert probably near Palm Springs. I would assume these palms have evolved to keep their skirts as someone else has mentioned to shade their trunks from the hot sun. Temps in summertime in this area are usually between 100-115 and higher for several months.
Last edited by marino760; 12-29-2016 at 08:28 AM..
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