some palm trees


on my walks, i have come to notice that there is actually a great variety of palm trees growing in our humid nature reserves and nature parks.

a palm tree is basically a trunk with leaves emerging from that trunk. there can be one or multiple trunks. the leaves or fronds can come off the trunk all the way from the top to the bottom, or just be at the top of the trunk.

here are three common ones.





















the licuala peltata, a palm with serrated leaves are common in our nature reserves and our nature parks. this one was seen at bukit batok nature park. the leaves will appear to have been trimmed by someone using a special pair of scissors with zig-zag blades.

it belongs to the same family as the fan palm. this palm prefers a moist shady position but once established can tolerate dry periods.




















this is a fan palm. there are quite a number of species of such palms. the fruit undergoes changes in colour as it is ripening. first, the fruit is green, the it turns orange and finally, when it is ripe, it becomes red.




















the ripe and unripe fruit of the fan palm. not all fan palms have fruit of the same colour. some have blue or purple fruit.




















the fishtail palm is a common palm found in tropical rainforests. it is the only palm with leaves that are subdivided twice. the shape of the leaflets give it its name - fishtail.