Palm Morphology

Jubaea chilensis (Mall.) Baill. (Botanical Garden, Pisa. Photo P. Pavone)

The commonest and best known habit of palms is that of woody tree plants featuring a single, unbranched trunk apically ending in a crown of leaves.

Actually, there are also acaulescent palms exhibiting a much reduced stem, or shrub palms with multiple stems, or even climbing palms.