Adventitious roots

Roots originating from stem tissue rather than from other roots; all mature palm roots are adventitious.

Armed

Bearing spines or teeth.

Bipinnately compound

A feather palm leaf that is twice-compound; that is, the primary leaflets themselves consist of system of smaller secondary leaflets.

Bract

A hood-like or leaf-like protective structure found at the base of an inflorescence.

Chlorosis (Chlorotic, adj.)

Yellowing of plant leaves caused by disease or nutrient deficiency.

Clustering Palm

A palm that branches at the base or below and produces several or numerous stems.

Costa

The extension of the leaf stem (petiole) into the blade on a costapalmate leaf.

Costapalmate

A fan palm leaf with an extension of the leaf stem (petiole) into the blade.

Crownshaft

A conspicuous neck-like structure formed by the tubular leaf bases of some feather-leafed palms that sheath each other very tightly around the stem.

Division

Propagation of a clustering palm by splitting the clump.

Drupe

A fleshy, one-seeded fruit that doesn’t open up at maturity, typical of many palm fruits.

Genus (plural: Genera)

A group of related species believed to be of common ancestry and defined by certain important shared characteristics that set them apart from other species groups.

Hastula

A small, thin, more or less rounded protuberance of tissue located at the point where the petiole meets the blade on a fan palm leaf.

Induplicate

A palm leaf in which the leaflets or segments are folded upward, forming a `V’.

Inflorescence

The flower stalk of a plant.

Leaf Base

The lowest and widest portion of the palm leaf stem or petiole that sheathes the stem.

Leaf Blade

The upper, expanded portion of a palm leaf.

Leaf Scar

The mark left behind on a palm trunk at a leaf’s point of attachment after the leaf falls.

Leaf Stem

The petiole of a palm leaf.

Marginal Reins

Long, linear strands of leaf tissue that hang down from the leaf margins of some feather palms. Often attached to the tips of the leaflets when the leaf first unfolds.

Necrosis (Necrotic, adj.)

Death of plant tissue in which browning or blackening of the tissue occurs; frequently a symptom of disease, insect damage, nutrient deficiency, or some other type of physiological problem.

Node

The point on the stem at which a leaf is attached.

Palm Cabbage

Edible palm hearts.

Palm Heart

The bud or growing point of a palm, including several series of embryonic leaves. Harvested from some species and eaten fresh or cooked.

Palmate

A fan palm leaf lacking a costa.

Petiole

The stem of a palm leaf.

Phloem

Food conducting cells in plant tissue.

Pinnately Compound

Feather palm leaves that are only once-compound; that is, there is only a single series of leaflets.

Rachis

The extension of the leaf stem (petiole) through the leaflets of a feather palm.

Reduplicate

A palm leaf in which the leaflets or segments are folded downward, forming an inverted `V’.

Rib

Upraised vein on a palm leaf or leaflet.

Ring Scar

The mark left behind on a palm trunk after a leaf that completely sheathes the stem falls off.

Root Initiation Zone

Specialized area at the base of the palm stem from which roots are produced.

Scales

Short, waxy or woolly hairs that occur on various parts of some palms.

Scurf

Dense deposits of scales on a palm leaf stem or other part of the palm.

Secondary Growth

The ability of plant stems and roots to produce new vascular tissue and increase in diameter with age; this ability is lacking in palms.

Segment

The split portions of a fan palm leaf.

Solitary palm

A palm that produces only one trunk or stem.

Spathe

A hood-like or boat shaped bract.

Spear

The tightly folded emergent leaf(ves) of a palm.

Subfamily

A subdivision of a plant family which unites genera that all share certain important characteristics and are believed to be of common descent.

Tribe

A group of closely related genera within a subfamily.

Unarmed

Free of spines or teeth.

Vascular Bundles

Columns of water and food conducting cells within the stem of a palm.

Vascular Tissues

The water and food conducting tissue of a plant.

Xylem

Water conducting cells in plant tissue.