What Fruit Grows on Palm Trees?
There are about 1,100 different species of palm trees on Earth, most growing in tropical areas of the world. The fruit of each tree varies, ranging from the berry like fruits of the California fan palm to the fleshy fruit of the coconut palm. Some fruits are even covered in scales.
Dates
The date palm is native to the desert areas of Northern Africa and has been grown for thousands of years. The fruit grows on female trees that must be pollinated by male trees for the dates to mature.
Coconut
Almost one-third of the world depends on the fruit of the coconut tree. Coconuts are a staple part of the diet on many islands where they grow. Coconuts are very nutritious and contain a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- There are about 1,100 different species of palm trees on Earth, most growing in tropical areas of the world.
- The date palm is native to the desert areas of Northern Africa and has been grown for thousands of years.
Jelly Palm Fruit
Jelly palms are grown all over the world, but they are native to parts of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. The small yellow- to orange-colored fruits taste like a combination of apricots, pineapple and banana. They can be eaten fresh or used to make jelly or wine.
Pygmy Coconut
Pygmy coconuts come from the Chilean wine palm. The fruits are fleshy, sweet and egg-yellow. They taste something like coconut and are eaten raw or made into candies.
Other Fruits
The fruit of California fan palms are brownish-black berries that taste something like dates or butterscotch. Guadalupe palms bear plump, black fruits that taste like dates and can be made into jams and puddings or eaten fresh.
- Jelly palms are grown all over the world, but they are native to parts of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
- The fruit of California fan palms are brownish-black berries that taste something like dates or butterscotch.
Fruit Grows On Palm Trees?
The term palm tree can generically refer to any of the tropical tree species with long, straight trunks with large leaves at the top. This family includes a good many shrubby species, but those that take the familiar tree-like form are generally called palm trees. From dates to coconuts and even acai berries, palm trees offer a veritable smorgasbord of edible and otherwise useful fruits. As it grows on a palm tree, a coconut has three layers. What remains is the endocarp layer: the roundish dark brown, fibrous substance that contains the coconut meat. These dates are both tasty and seedless, although some people who grow the trees for ornamental use view the fruits as a nuisance once they drop to the ground. If there is no male date palm nearby, growers sometimes purchase male date flowers or pollen to manually fertilize the female plant. Smaller offshoots produced during this time will also bear fruit. it's native to Brazil and the relatively dry climates of South America, but it is also used as a landscaping plant in parts of California, as well as in Atlantic and Gulf areas in the southeastern United States. Eaten raw, the fruit is fibrous, so some people chew the fruit for its juice and discard the remaining fibrous material. Not an actual peach, the fruit of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is often cooked because it tastes a bitter even when ripe. When the berries are ripe, they are dark blue to almost black, emitting a sweet aroma. As a male health-boosting supplement, the berries are usually dried for use in teas and tinctures or powdered and put into capsules. The areca palm produces a fruit that's used as a stimulant and health booster in parts of Asia. Organizations that enforce sustainable harvesting methods work to ensure that this oil is harvested using means that are less impactful on the environment.
- The term palm tree can generically refer to any of the tropical tree species with long, straight trunks with large leaves at the top.
- Not an actual peach, the fruit of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is often cooked because it tastes a bitter even when ripe.
References
- Wayne’s World: Edible Palm Fruits
- Coconut Research Center: Coconut
- Library of Congress: Is Coconut a Fruit, Nut or Seed?
- The Merwin Conservancy: 10 Common Edible Palm Fruits
- Eat the Weeds: Jelly Palm, Pindo's Alter Ego
- Do It Yourself: Growing Acai Berries
- Groundworks: Medjool Date Palm
- Mountain Rose Herbs: Saw Palmetto Berries
- Organic Facts: Seven Benefits of Peach Palm
- BBC: Asia's Deadly Secret: The Scourge of the Betel Nut
- Drugs.com: Betel Nut
- Plantz: Areca Palm
- WWF: Eight Things to Know About Palm Oil
Writer Bio
Lani Thompson began writing in 1987 as a journalist for the "Pequawket Valley News." In 1993 she became managing editor of the "Independent Observer" in East Stoneham, Maine. Thompson also developed and produced the "Clan Thompson Celiac Pocketguides" for people with celiac disease. She attended the University of New Hampshire.