Botanical Gardens at University of Michigan

Palm trees can be identified by their large leaves that stay green year-round, called fronds. These plants have compound leaves, which means that each large frond is made up of many smaller leaves. Palm trees also have trunk-like stems without branches. Do you see how the leaves grow right out of the stem? 

The type of palm pictured here has particularly large fronds. Why do you think this type of tree is nicknamed the "Fan" Palm? 

The Date Palm is related to the Fan Palm and also has a stem without branches. Notice how it also has compound leaves, but they look much different than the Fan Palm! This example of a Date Palm is smaller than usual, and may be a young plant. Similar to the Fan Palm, they can grow to be very tall. 

Date Palms are significant for their fruit, the date! Dates are a sweet fruit that can be eaten whole (minus the pit inside!) or used in a number of dishes or desserts. Dates are an important traditional crop in Iran, Iraq, Arabia, and North Africa. Dates are also grown in warmer regions of the United States and are relatively easy to find at your local grocery store. 

You may have seen small bamboo kept in pots as houseplants, and this bamboo is very similar! In the right climate, bamboo are one of the fastest growing plants on earth, and the plants can be very tall. In fact, large groupings of bamboo are called forests, and walking through them is just like walking through a forest of trees.

Because they can grow several inches a day, bamboo plants are being researched as a more sustainable alternative to wood and other plants used in making goods for people. This means that bamboo can be grown and regrown much faster than other plants, so it is better for the environment to harvest bamboo than other more slow-growing plants. Bamboo can be used to make fibers for clothing, to make items typically made out of wood, and can even be eaten.