Types of Palm Trees in Florida (With Pictures and Names) – Identification Guide

Tropical palm trees are one of the identifying features of the Florida skyline. Several types of palm trees are native to Florida and grow throughout the state. Many Florida palm trees are tall and majestic and grow near beaches, along roads and in parks. There are also some small and dwarf palm trees native to Florida that are ideal for residential garden landscapes.

Because of the diverse growing zones in Florida, it’s vital to identify the right kind of palm tree for your area. Some Florida palm trees are cold hardy and can withstand some light frost. However, other palms native to the “Sunshine State” only grow in southern Florida, where it’s warm and humid throughout the year.

This article is a guide to identifying the most common palm trees that grow in Florida. Pictures of Florida palm trees along with descriptions of the leaves, trunks, and growth habits will help with palm tree identification.

Growing Zones in Florida

Florida is divided into USDA growing zones 8 – 10, with the Florida Keys being in zone 11.

The northern parts of Florida are in zone 8a, where temperatures can drop as low as 15°F (-9°C) in winter. So, you need to find cold-hardy Florida palms to grow in the northern part of the state.

Miami is in zone 10, where minimum temperatures are between 30°F (-1°C) and 40°F (4°C). Palms need to survive short bouts of cold temperatures but thrive in warm summers.

Palms for Growing in Florida

Florida has some of the best conditions for growing palm trees. Palms tend to thrive growing in sandy soil where the climate is hot and wet in summer and cool and dry in winter.

In northern Florida, temperatures in winters can drop below freezing, and there can be some frost on the ground. Palms native to Florida, such as Pindo palm, dwarf palmetto, Sabal palmetto, and the needle palm all grow well in zones 8 through 11 and are cold hardy.

Cold hardy palms also grow in the southern part of Florida around the Miami area. But native palms such as the royal palm tree and silver palm, which are cold sensitive, will only grow in south Florida.

Florida Palm Tree Facts

Twelve species of palm trees are native to Florida. Some of the most common native Florida palms are cabbage palms, needle palms, royal palms, and silver palms. However, you’ll also see many imported palms growing in different areas of Florida.

Palms belong to the family Arecaceae and are identified by their long thick stems and crown of arching fronds (branches). Some of the most towering Florida palms can grow up to 100 ft. (30 m) tall. The smaller or dwarf native Florida palms can be as short as 20 ft. (6 m)—relatively small for a palm tree.

Types of Palm Trees in Florida (With Pictures) – Identification Guide

Let’s look in more detail at the identifying features of many palms commonly grown in Florida. In this list, you’ll find native Florida palm trees and popular palms that have been imported from other countries.

Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor)

Dwarf palmetto palm has large fan-shaped leaves, short fat trunk, and smooth branches. As its name suggests, this is a small species of palm, and it doesn’t usually grow taller than 3 ft. (1 m). Being a cold-hardy Florida palm, the dwarf palmetto can survive temperatures as low as 0°F (-18°C).

This dwarf palm is suitable for residential garden landscapes in zones 7 through 10.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Green fronds identify the dwarf palmetto in the shape of a fan growing on a short, smooth trunk.

Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix)

The needle palm is more of a short or mini bushy palm rather than a tall, majestic tree. You can identify this native Florida palm by its thick trunk and fronds growing in a fan shape that creates a rounded crown on the palm. The needle palm, native to Florida, is one of the hardiest palms in the Sunshine State. Hardy to 5°F (-15°C), it thrives in zones 6 through 10.

This small hardy palm tree grows between 3 and 4 ft. (1 – 1.2 m) tall.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify the short needle palm by its clumping growth of fan-like leaves, stout trunk, and rounded growth.

Scrub Palmetto (Sabal etonia)

Identifying features of the scrub palmetto are its fan leaves growing at the top of a solitary thin stem. This short palm tree is only native to Florida. Although the trunk can grow up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) tall, it is often entirely below ground. The spiky frond palm leaves are suitable for ground cover.

A cold-hardy Florida palm tree grows in USDA zones 8a through 11 and can survive temperatures as low as 10°F (-12°C).

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The scrub palmetto is identified by thin yellowish-green blades growing in the shape of a fan with a slightly curved growth.

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)

The saw palmetto Florida palm’s identifying features are its fan-like leaves, sharp spiky branches, and yellowish-white flowers. This is a relatively cold-hardy plant that grows throughout Florida and reaches heights of between 7 and 10 ft. (2 – 3 m). Palm fruit consists of big dark red drupes. This Florida palm is cold hardy to 20°F (6°C) in zones 9a through 11.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify the saw palmetto palm tree by a crooked stem, large leaves with a fan-like appearance, and sharp branches.

Sylvester Palm (Phoenix sylvestris)

The Sylvester palm—or silver date palm—is widespread in Florida landscapes, although it’s not native to the state. The medium-sized palm tree has a fat trunk that resembles a pineapple’s skin. The palm ranges in size from 13 ft. to 50 ft. (4 – 15 m) and has a leafy crown that’s 32 ft. (10 m) broad and the same tall. Sylvester palms are drought-tolerant, slow-growing, and very cold-hardy.

Sylvester palms grow in all parts of Florida in zones 8b through 11

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Sylvester palm is identified by sharp, stiff, pointed leaves, a rough fibrous trunk, and a vast bushy palm crown.

Keys thatch palm (Leucothrinax morrisii)

The Florida native key thatch palm (also named brittle thatch palm) has fan-shaped (palmate) leaves growing on a single long stem. The leaves have long leaflets up to 2.5 ft. (0.7 m) long and are a pale yellowish-green or bluish-green color. Depending on the growing conditions, this Florida palm can be small-growing to only 3 ft. tall (1 m), or a tall, elegant palm tree growing over 36 ft. (11 m) tall.

The key thatch palm is tolerant of wind and some frost and is cold-hardy to 30°F (-1°C), thriving in zone 9b.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The keys thatch palm is identified by its sizeable spiky foliage growing on multiple branches, a fibrous trunk, and small white fruits.

Florida Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata)

The Florida thatch palm has a single slender trunk and crown of palmate leaves. These cold-sensitive palms grow well in coastal regions and are excellent for garden landscapes or growing in containers. The slow-growing southern palms grow up to 20 ft. (6 m) tall. Grows in USDA zones 10 through 11, so suitable for growing in south Florida.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Florida thatch palm tree is a species of skinny palm tree with between 10 and 20 green palmate leaves forming a canopy.

Bismarck Palm (Bismarckia nobilis)

The Bismarck palm is not native to Florida, but it’s one of the most sought-after palms in the southern states. The spectacular palm is easily recognizable by its short, fat, fibrous trunk and showy display of huge silvery-gray fronds. This is a type of small palm tree that grows up to 20 ft. (6 m) tall. The palm leaves can grow up to 10 ft. (3 m) broad and the rounded crown can be over 22 ft. (7 m) wide.

This cold-sensitive plant only grows in the south of Florida in zone 11.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Bismarck palm is identified by its massive silvery crown of palm leaves and a fat, rough trunk.

Florida Silver Palm (Coccothrinax argentata)

The Florida silver palm’s identifying features are its slender, smooth trunk, dark blue-green leaves with a silver underside, and globose purple palm fruits. This small native Florida palm grows to between 6.5 and 20 ft. (2 – 6 m).

The Florida silver palm is a type of small palm tree that grows in southern Florida in zones 10b through 11.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: A single smooth upward-growing trunk identifies the Florida silver palm tree. Also, look for palmate compound silvery-gray leaves, giving the palm crown a globular appearance.

Paurotis Palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii)

The fanning leaves of the Paurotis palm make this species of native Florida palm easy to identify. Its slender trunk with fibrous growth identifies the Paurotis palm. With its thin trunk and fanning leaves, the paurotis palm has a skimpy look. This Florida palm tree grows in zones 9 through 11.

The palm tree is also called the everglades palm, Madeira palm, and Cubas palm. It’s a small to moderately tall species of palm tree growing between 16 and 23 ft. (5 – 7 m).

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The paurotis palm is identified by its light green-colored fronds that fan out, giving the slender palm a spiky appearance.

Alexander Palm Tree (Ptychosperma elegans)

The Alexander palm is a small to medium sized palm tree popular in Florida’s garden landscapes where it thrives in warm tropical conditions. Multi-stemmed species of this palm have smooth, thin stems that are self-cleaning. The pinnately compound fronds can grow up to 8 ft. (2.4 m) and appear at the end of the long straight stem. Depending on where it grows, the medium-sized Alexander palm tree grows to between 20 and 40 ft. (6 – 12 m).

Ideal for growing in zone 11, the palm is hardy to 40°F (4.5°C). The palm tree also has names such as elegant palm, Solitaire palm, and cabbage palm—although not to be confused with the tall Sabal palmetto palm tree.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Alexander palm tree is identified by a smooth, slender gray stem that bulges at the base. Look for pinnate leaves that have an arching growth. Bunches of red palm fruits also help identify the Alexander palm tree.

Buccaneer Palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii)

The buccaneer palm also goes by the name Florida cherry palm. The medium-sized Florida palm can grow up to 26 ft. (8 m) tall and is identified by its long arching fronds and swollen smooth trunk with ringed patterns. The long branches of this slow-growing graceful palm spread out in a flat pattern like a fan. The cold-sensitive palm grows well in zones 10a through 11.

If you like the look of buccaneer palm, you can also grow it in a container and move it indoors during the winter.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The buccaneer palm is identified by its slightly bulging trunk with ring markings and long branches up to 10 ft. (3 m) in length that arch out creating a wide canopy.

Related: Indoor Palm Plants: Types and Care

Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata)

The foxtail palm is native to Australia, but it’s a popular species of palm in Florida. The medium-sized palm tree is identified by its arching fronds growing from the top of the silvery-white trunk. The palm gets its name from its branch growth that resembles a fox’s tail. The foxtail palm is a fast-growing palm tree similar to the massive royal palm.

Thriving in zones 10b and 11, the popular Florida palm will only grow in the southern areas of the state. The medium-sized palm grows up to 30 ft. tall (9 m).

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify the foxtail palm by its bushy arching fronds, branchless smooth columnar trunk that is white with ringed patterns.

Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)

The Queen palm is an ideal plant for ornamental Florida gardens in zones 9 through 11. The medium-sized palm tree quickly reaches heights of up to 50 ft. (15 m). The long, pinnate leaves have hundreds of leaflets that are about 1.5 ft. (50 cm) in length, giving the palm’s crown a bushy appearance.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The queen palm is identified by its single smooth trunk, glossy bright green leaves, drooping canopy, and golden orange palm dates.

Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis)

The Chinese fan palm is a beautiful tall palm tree that is ideal for ornamental gardens in Florida. These hardy palms thrive in all parts of Florida. Their identifying feature is the drooping fan leaves that create a fountain-like look. The tall, straight trunks and spreading crown grow up 50 ft. (15 m) tall.

Chinese fan palms are cold hardy to 20°F (-12°C) and are suitable for zones 9 through 11.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify the Chinese fan palm by its fan-shaped leaves with an arching growth habit that creates a bushy, drooping crown.

Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)

The Canary Island date palm is a popular sun-loving palm tree for the south coast. The tall palm eventually grows up to 66 ft. (20 m) high—making it too tall for most residential Florida garden landscapes.

The fat palm tree has a rough straight bronze-colored trunk that has a large bulge at its crownshaft. The pinnate arching leaves grow from a central spot at the top of the long trunk. Suitable for growing in zones 8a through 11 and cold hardy to 10°F (-12°C).

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Canary Island date palm is identified by its tall upright trunk, with a crown of stiff, sharp leaves, and clusters of palm fruits—bunches of orange-yellow dates.

Ribbon Fan Palm (Livistona decipiens)

The ribbon fan palm is native to Australia but popular in southern and central parts of Florida. The ribbon fan palm tree is identified by its single, upright straight trunk that has a smooth finish. This palm gets its name from the fan-shaped leaves that split into long drooping ribbons. The ribbon fan palm is a slow-growing palm that eventually reaches 60 ft. (18 m).

The ribbon fan plant is suitable for growing in Florida USDA zones 9 through 11.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify the ribbon fan palm plant by its graceful ribbon-like fronds that create an umbrella type of bushy palm crown.

Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto)

The cabbage palm (sabal palmetto) is a tall palm native to Florida and is also the state tree of Florida. The cabbage palm tree has bronze and gray-colored fibrous trunk, fan-shaped leaves, and rounded crown on the top of a long single trunk. An identifying feature of this Florida palm is the brown-colored dead palm leaves hanging at the base of the crown.

The cabbage palmetto palm grows up to 65 ft. (20 m) and grows in zones 8 through 11. Hot, humid summers ensure the ‘Floridian’ palm survives winter temperatures down to 9°F (-12°C).

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify Florida’s state palm with the trunk that is smooth and gray at its base, before becoming bronze and rough due to old leaves petioles.

Florida Royal Palm (Roystonea regia)

The Florida royal palm is a tall palm tree native to southern Florida and is commonly seen along roads and in parks. The tree is identified by its thick, bulging smooth trunk that is a whitish-gray color. Another identifying feature is the smooth green part of the stem called the crownshaft. The pinnate palm leaves grow up to 13 ft. (4 m) long.

The royal palms are among some of the tallest palm trees that grow in the south of Florida. The regal-looking palms grow in zones 10a through 11 and are cold hardy at 26°F (-3°C).

Florida Palm Tree Identification: To identify the Florida royal palm, look for the green crownshaft near the arching leaves. Also, the thick, fat, tall, straight trunk is a grayish color with rings on it.

Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera)

Coconut palms are a popular species of palm tree in Florida that has long curving smooth stem growing up to 100 ft. (30 m) tall. The pinnate leaves grow at the very top of the palm tree and create an arching crown. Of course, another identifying feature of the palm genus Cocos is the fact the fruit is coconuts, not juicy dates.

These cold-sensitive palms grow better in the southern part of Florida in zones 10a and 10b.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identify coconut palms by their smooth gray trunk that has a large bulge at its base. The pinnate leaves can grow up to 20 ft. (6 m) long.

King Palm / Bangalow Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana)

The king palm tree is a popular palm that thrives in Florida’s humid subtropical climate. The fast-growing palm tree has a single, erect, brownish-gray trunk, arching evergreen fronds, and an attractive crown. Also called the Bangalow palm, the palm is identified by its masses of round red fruits that grow in long dangling clusters.

The king Palm grows around 65 ft. (20 m) tall and 10 to 15 ft. (3 – 4.5 m) wide. The crown consists of 15 to 20 palm fronds measuring up to 15 ft. (4.5 m) long with around 100 to 150 leaflets on each stem.

Florida palm tree identification: The king palm has an identifiable straight, slender grayish trunk slightly wider at the base. Arching green fronds create a spray of foliage at the crown shaft.

Red Latan Palm Tree (Latania lontaroides)

The red latan palm is a slow-growing tropical palm that thrives in Florida’s southern coastal regions. The palm has identifiable ridged fan-shaped light green fronds with a whitish sheen. The upward growing fronds create a large, rounded crown with a spiky appearance. In spring, small yellow flowers bloom, followed by brownish-green palm fruits.

Red latan palm trees thrive in USDA zones 10 through 12. Growing in full sun, the large palm reaches 30 to 40 ft. (9 – 12 m) tall with a rounded crown measuring up to 20 ft. (6 m) wide. Each frond measures 8 ft. (2.4 m) wide, consisting of stiff leaflets growing on 5 ft. (1.5 m) stems.

The common name red latan comes from the reddish frond stems and leaflets that grow on immature red latan palm trees.

Florida palm tree identification: The red latan palm is easy to recognize in Florida. Its distinctive, red-tinged leaves turn green and have a silky, silvery appearance.

Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis)

The fishtail palm is a multi-stemmed plant identified by its unusual bipinnate leaves with leaflets in the shape of a fish’s tail fin. The clustered stems grow up to 40 ft. (12 m) tall with a spread of 10 ft. (3 m) wide. The fishtail palm has leaves measuring 10 ft. (3 m) long.

The clustering fishtail palm produces attractive creamy-white flowers in spring that look attractive among the glossy feathery green fronds. Then after blooming, the flowers give way to dark red to purplish poisonous fruits.

In Florida, you will typically find the multi-stemmed fishtail palm growing in wooded areas and hummocks.

Florida palm tree identification: The easiest way to identify the fishtail palm is by observing its ruffled fronds. Each shiny green leaflet is a triangular shape with serrated margins that look like the tail of a fish.

Montgomery Palm (Veitchia arecina)

The Montgomery palm is a tall, slender palm tree characteristic of Florida’s landscapes. Each palm tree has a straight, erect grayish smooth trunk with a crown of long, pinnate fronds measuring up to 10 ft. (3 m). The arching fronds emerge from the whitish crown-shaft. Montgomery palms grow 80 ft. (24 m) tall.

Montgomery palm trees are classed as one of the ten Great Palms for Florida. In spring, the solitary palms bloom with clusters of greenish-white flowers on 3 ft. (1 m) long stems. After blooming, the palm tree produces clusters of red palm fruits 1” to 2” (2.5 – 5 cm) long.

Florida palm tree identification: The Montgomery palm is an easily identifiable Florida palm due to its slender, grayish long trunk, a beautiful crown of arching pinnate fronds, pale green crown shaft, and red fruits.

Red Sealing Wax Palm / Lipstick Palm (Cyrtostachys renda)

The red sealing wax palm is an eye-catching palm tree in Florida landscapes due to its brightly-colored, red crown-shafts. Also called the lipstick palm, the colorful tropical palm has smooth red stems and dark green palmate leaves with stiff leaflets that grow upward. In gardens, lipstick palms grow 10 – 20 ft. (3 – 6 m) tall.

Red sealing wax palms are multi-stemmed trees with slender trunks. The smooth stems emerge red and turn green as the palm tree grows. However, the bright red crown-shaft remains at the top of the palm. The lipstick palm blooms with small greenish flower stalks before producing inedible oval black fruits.

Florida palm tree identification: The red sealing wax palm has multiple stems, each with an unmistakable scarlet-colored crown-shaft, making the palm tree easy to identify. The upward growing stiff, slender leaflets create an irregular spiky crown.

Arikury Palm (Syagrus schizophylla)

The arikury palm is a perfect small accent palm, ideal for compact Florida landscapes. The super-long palmate fronds extend directly from the ground and clump together into a tree-like plant. The long fronds measure 4 to 6 ft. (1.2 – 1.8 m) long and have an arching and drooping habit.

The attractive arikury palm grows up to 6 ft. (1.8 m) high with a spread of 10 ft. (3 m). The identifying feature of this Florida palm is its distinctive toothed petioles. Unlike other ornamental palms in Florida, the arikury palm lacks a smooth crown-shaft.

Other characteristics of the arikury palm are 2 to 3 ft. (0.6 – 1 m) flowering stems with golden yellow flowers, yellow or orange fruits measuring 1” (2.5 cm) long, and a shaggy-looking trunk.

Florida palm tree identification: The arikury palm is easy to identify in the landscape due to its low height, short trunk consisting of multiple stems, and long arching dark green palmate fronds.

European Fan Palm / Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis) 

Also called the Mediterranean fan palm, the European palm is a shrub-like palm tree growing between 10 and 20 ft. (3 – 6 m) tall. The stumpy, short palm has a thick, spiny trunk, fan-shaped silvery-green stiff, pointed leaves growing up to 5 ft. (1.5 m) long.

The hardy multi-stemmed Mediterranean fan palm tree is popular for planting in gardens in Florida. The slow-growing palm creates an attractive focal point or corner accent. Its jagged robust stem, fan-shaped palmate evergreen leaves, and compact growth are suitable for small garden landscapes.

Florida palm tree identification: The growth traits of the European fan palm are blue-green, or silver rounded fan-shaped fronds, clumping thick stems covered in jaggy spines, and sharp needle-like spines on the petioles.

Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii) 

The pygmy date palm Tree has a single shaggy trunk, a gracefully rounded arching crown of drooping fronds, and black oval palm fruits. The bright green palmate leaves grow up to 4 ft. (1.2 m) long and have sharp spines at the petiole’s base. Creamy-white flowers and black fruits grow on 1 ft. (30 cm) long stems.

When planted in clumps, the trunks tend to curve gracefully away from the center of the plant, creating an especially attractive arrangement.

Pygmy date palm is one of the most widely used palms in landscaping in Florida. The single-trunk palm tree is typically planted with three to five pygmy date palms in a garden landscape. However, not only is the date palm stunning as a focal point in a landscape setting, but it also looks great in a container.

Florida palm tree identification: The pygmy date palm looks like a miniature Florida palm tree with a stumpy short trunk. The palm has a distinctive bushy crown made of feathery palmate leaves over 3 ft. (1 m) long.

African Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

The African oil palm is a single-stemmed palm with a slender greenish-brown upright trunk, huge pinnately compound leaves, and large clusters of red oily plum-sized fruits. In the landscape, an African oil palm grows over 66 ft. (20 m) tall and has a broad, spreading crown consisting of arching palmate leaves 16 ft. (5 m) long.

African oil palms are principally grown for their palm oil and are one of the world’s most oil-producing plants. The orangey-red palm fruits grow in bunches weighing between 11 and 66 lbs. (5 – 30 kg).

In addition to the red palm fruits, other recognizable features of the African oil palm are its vase shape, clusters of pale-yellow flowers, and a knobby trunk.

Florida palm tree identification: The African oil palm is identified by its grayish trunk covered in triangular woody ridges. The beautiful shape of the palm tree is due to its upward arching pinnate fronds and colorful fruits dangling in large clusters.

Parlor Palms (Chamaedorea elegans)

The parlor palm is a small shrub-like palm tree characterized by clumping cane-like stems growing from the ground. The palm’s identifying features are dark green pinnate leaves measuring 18” to 24” (45 – 60 cm) with slender lance-shaped leaflets growing alternately. Additionally, golden yellow flowers and small fleshy black fruits grow on the palm.

The parlor palm thrives in USDA zones 10 to 12. In a subtropical garden landscape, the leafy palm shrub may grow around 7 ft. (2.1 m) tall in partial shade to full shade. In early spring, small golden yellow ball-shaped flowers appear, followed by dark palm fruits.

Parlor palms are also popular indoor palms for growing as a houseplant. The easy-to-grow potted palm thrives in normal indoor conditions. The arching evergreen fronds can add natural color to any indoor space. And they have the added advantage of helping to purify household air.

Florida palm tree identification: The parlor palm is a tropical plant with slender green stems, a bushy rounded crown, and crescent-shaped compound palmate leaves.

Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)

The lady palm is a spreading shrub-like palm tree with a clustering habit. The large palmately dissected glossy dark green leaves are fan-shaped with three to ten leaflets on a leaf. The bushy palm plant grows between 6 and 15 ft. (1.8 – 4.5 m) and forms a rounded leafy mound in a landscape.

Rhapis excela is also called the clustered finger lady leaf palm. This common name is due to the finger-like narrow leaflets that droop gracefully from long erect reed-like stems. This palm is also called the bamboo palm because of its woody straight stems.

The lady palm is cold-hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11 and is used as an outdoor landscaping plant throughout Florida. The advantage of growing a lady palm is that it’s incredibly tolerant of deep shade and is resistant to drought.

You can also grow a lady palm as a container plant to add greenery to shaded rooms where other plants would struggle due to a lack of sunlight.

Florida palm tree identification: The lady palm is identified by several slender grayish trunks covered in light brown fiber. This medium-sized palm has fan-shaped dark green leaves divided into slender pointed fingers.

• Find out many other indoor palm plants and how to care for them.
• Discover the most amazing small or dwarf palm trees.

Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens)

The golden cane palm is a multi-stemmed palm tree that thrives in Florida landscapes. The bamboo-like palm is identified by airy fronds with yellowish-green to dark-green lance-shaped leaflets growing in a V shape on the arching stems. The golden cane palm resembles the popular lady palm tree in many ways.

The attractive plant is also called the bamboo palm, areca palm, yellow palm, or butterfly palm. The term “butterfly palm” comes from the unusual shape of the fronds — how they curve upward like butterfly wings.

The golden cane palm grows between 20 and 35 ft. (6 – 10 m) tall with a spreading crown between 10 and 20 ft. (3 – 6 m) wide. Other identifying features of the multi-cane palm tree are its yellow or green rings around the stems, yellow flower stalks, and egg-shaped fruits measuring 1” (2.5 cm) long.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The golden cane plant is identified by its V-shaped arching fronds with slender lanceolate leaves growing on clusters of stems.

Christmas Palm (Adonidia merrillii)

The Christmas palm is a beautiful Florida palm tree suitable for small, compact gardens in the Sunshine State. The fast-growing palm has a slender gray trunk, stiff, arching green leaves, and clusters of small cream-colored blossoms. The compact palm tree has a solitary stem with an arching crown of palmate leaves.

The Christmas palm grows around 20 to 25 ft. (6 – 7.6 m) tall and up to 8 ft. (2.4 m) wide. Once established in the landscape, the sun-loving palm is tolerant of drought, poor soils, and salty air.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The identifying features of the Christmas palm are its smooth gray stem, prominent green crown shaft, and strongly arching fronds growing 5 ft. (1.5 m) long.

Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae)

The Alexandra palm is a beautiful Florida palm tree with an erect gray trunk topped by huge feather-like fronds. The solitary palm tree grows up to 100 ft. (30 m) tall with a trunk 1 ft. (0.3 m) in diameter. The large pinnate fronds are 15 ft. (4.5 m) long, each containing 60 to 80 leaflets.

Perfect for tropical landscaping, the Alexandra palm thrives in USDA zones 10 to 12. It also goes by the names feather palm, king palm, and Northern Bangalow Palm.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Alexandra palm is identified by its tall, slender trunk, a large crown of arching fronds, green crown shaft, white flower clusters, and huge bunches of pea-sized red palm fruits.

Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta)

The Mexican fan palm is a fast-growing palm suitable for growing in Florida. This elegant, slender palm tree features a small rounded crown of rich green palmate leaves sitting on a tall columnar trunk. The popular Florida palms grow 40 to 80 ft. (12 – 24 m) tall.

An unusual feature of the Mexican fan palm is that its dead leaves do not fall off. Instead, they fold down along the trunk, creating a dense skirt. However, the top half of taller Mexican fan palms are smooth rather than rough, like the base section caused by leaf scars.

Other features of the Mexican fan palm are its clusters of small white flowers dangling on stems up to 10 ft. (3 m) long. After flowering, bunches of tiny black palm fruits appear. This palm is probably the most popular palm tree in the world.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The characteristic features of the Mexican fan palm are its crown of huge rich green palmate fronds growing on an erect, slender stem, and the shaggy appearance of the trunk’s lower section.

Proctor’s Silver Palm (Coccothrinax proctorii)

Also called the Cayman thatch palm, the Proctor’s silver palm is a medium-sized tropical tree with a pencil-like gray trunk. This slender stem is topped by silvery-gray fan-shaped, drooping leaves growing in an open or triangular crown. This attractive tropical palm grows 10 to 20 ft. (3 – 6 m) tall.

This small palm tree is ideal for compact landscapes in the Sunshine State. Its tolerance for coastal air, direct sunlight, and poor soil makes it easy to grow in warm climates.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: Identifying features of the Cayman thatch palm are its fan-shaped fronds consisting of dark green leaflets above and silvery below.

Caribbean royal palm (Roystonea oleracea)

The Caribbean royal palm is described as a stately, imposing palm tree due to its tall, erect, cylindrical trunk. This single-stemmed evergreen palm grows up to 130 ft. (40 m) tall. Its large feather-like fronds grow 10 to 16 ft. (3 – 5 m) long, creating a large crown.

The Caribbean royal palm has a whitish-gray trunk with noticeable rings around it. Large panicles of white flowers bloom just under the green crown shaft. These are followed by blue-violet egg-shaped edible fruits.

The tropical palm tree also goes by the names cabbage palm and imperial palm. Not as cold-hardy as other Florida palms, as it only grows south of Lake Okeechobee.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The Caribbean royal palm is easily identifiable due to its tall, erect, cylinder-shaped gray trunk, large pinnate leaves, green crown shaft, and blackish-blue edible fruit.

Yellow Latan Palm (Latania verschaffeltii)

The yellow Latan palm tree is a slow-growing exotic tree characterized by its huge fan-shaped green leaves growing on thick yellow leaf stems. Resembling foliage of the popular Bismarck palm, the large palmate leaves measure 6.5 to 10 ft. (2 – 3 m) wide. These form an open crown on a medium-sized gray trunk.

Yellow Latan palm trees grow 36 to 50 ft. (11 – 15 m) tall.  At the end of the slender gray stem is an open crown with the palmate leaves radiating out. Its clusters of flowers grow on long stalks measuring 3 to 6 ft. (1 – 1.8 m) long. After flowering, brownish-green plum-shaped fruits appear.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The identifying features of the yellow Latan palm are its large fan-shaped palmate leaves covered in a whitish texture, giving them a silvery appearance.

Blue Latan Palm (Latania loddigesii)

The spectacular blue Latan palm tree is an evergreen palm growing 20 to 25 ft. (6  – 8 m) tall. It has a slender gray trunk, dense crown, and large, stiff, silvery blue leaves in a fan shape. The huge palm leaves measure 8 ft. (2.4 m) wide and grow at the end of 5 ft. (1.5 m) petioles.

Like many Latan palms, the blue variety has leaflets covered in soft hairs giving them a silvery appearance.

The blue Latan palm tree is well suited to Florida climates. The exotic palm tree thrives in USDA zones 10 and 11, in full sun and well-drained soils.

Florida Palm Tree Identification: The single-trunked blue Latan palm tree is identified by its bluish-green fan-shaped leaves forming a dense crown on a slender gray stem.

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