Growing up in a tropical (or not depending on who you ask) climate in South Florida, palms were ubiquitous. You see queens, sabals, royals, and cocos down there and go, "not again!"

It wasn't until I moved to north Florida and then Atlanta that I really began to appreciate palms, and the common queen in Gainesville or the odd sabal in Atlanta turned into showpieces. And of course, all palms look better in habitat.

So here it goes, let's appreciate what we have by showing those lowly "common" species in their full glory!

I'll start:

Sabal palmetto along the St. John's river, somewhere northeast of Oviedo, FL

Yes!

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (Mount Mee National park, SE Queensland)

Regards Neil

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (Mount Mee National park, SE Queensland)

p6.jpg

Regards Neil

Beautiful! I love how the palm trunk in the very front is coming through the boardwalk

Common palms in natural habitat?

I have something for you.

As common as it is in culture, the Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) is rare in the wild.
Last year, I had the honor of visiting true natural CIDP habitat, in a dramatic canyon, one of the species' last strongholds in the wild.

Pictures of habitat: http://tobiasvalentin.dk/?p=311

Edited March 28, 201412 yr by Tobias Valentin

Wow thanks Tobias, those pictures were beautiful! How come P. canaries is populations are declining in habitat.?

Keep them coming folks, common is a relative term. Common palms in one place are treasures in another

Washingtonia filifera in Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, CA.

I love your pics in the wild.

Here is one of phoenix theophrastii in Crete (prevelli)

Great pictures guys! I love those Washingtonia oases, someday I'd like to see them in person.

P. theophrastii looks like it enjoys the water, growing right next to the river like that!

Here's a cool one I found on google, Wodyetia bifurcata, Cape Melville, Australia.

Great topic.

'Friad I can't really contribute as we have no native palms in the uk but I'm enjoying the photos.

Please keep them coming

More Washingtonia Filifera, Palm Canyon, Borrego Springs, CA

Wow thanks Tobias, those pictures were beautiful! How come P. canaries is populations are declining in habitat.?

Thanks.

The reason is loss of habitat. Agriculture and urban sprawl.

Rhapidophyllum Hystrix looks natural in this photo:

Edited March 30, 201412 yr by ArchAngeL01

Common palms in natural habitat?

I have something for you.

As common as it is in culture, the Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) is rare in the wild.

Last year, I had the honor of visiting true natural CIDP habitat, in a dramatic canyon, one of the species' last strongholds in the wild.

Pictures of habitat: http://tobiasvalentin.dk/?p=311

Well on Gran Canaria I have seen plenty good populations last winter. At moist places in barrancos. Also close to human habitation. So not that rare. But a problem is inbreeding with the introduced Phoenix dactylifera! So other Phoenix should be best kept away from wild Phoenix canariensis stands.

Alexander

Trachycarpus (not sure about the species) Darjeeling, India

Licuala bachmaensis: My Son, Vietnam

These palms are one of several Licualas used to make the ubiquitous 'non la' (conical hat)

Common palms in natural habitat?

I have something for you.

As common as it is in culture, the Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) is rare in the wild.
Last year, I had the honor of visiting true natural CIDP habitat, in a dramatic canyon, one of the species' last strongholds in the wild.

Pictures of habitat: http://tobiasvalentin.dk/?p=311

Well on Gran Canaria I have seen plenty good populations last winter. At moist places in barrancos. Also close to human habitation. So not that rare. But a problem is inbreeding with the introduced Phoenix dactylifera! So other Phoenix should be best kept away from wild Phoenix canariensis stands.

Alexander

Please, can you show us some pictures from these moist canyons - would be cool. What an exciting experience it must have been.

Yes, hybridization is a real problem.

I am happy to hear that more P. canariensis habitat is to be found in Gran Canaria. This is also showed in an article, Phoenix canariensis in the wild [Principes 24(2), 1998)], where plenty of Phoenix habitat is seen on the Gran Canaria map. Still, compared to the past, natural stands of P. canariensis are very reduced in the wild. In Tenerife, where I visited, it seems that only two or three natural populations are found. A 16th century description (cited from the article) says about Tenerife: "the northern side of the island is completely covered by enchanting forests of palms [...]" - and also describes a situation from Gran Canaria: "[...] the whole island was a garden, all populated by palms, because we took away from a place they call Tamarasaite more than sixty thousand palm trees".

On the positive side, I think a growing biodiversity awareness is turning some things in the Canary Islands.

Here in this picture, P. canariensis is standing with its feet in the water, close to Asplenium ferns and willow trees (Salix canariensis) - not a typical dry, xeric setting.

Trachycarpus (not sure about the species) Darjeeling, India

trachy.jpg

Nice photo.

I guess the Trachycarpus stand is a cultivated one? - judging from the tended forest floor, and the flattened, smooth footpath (right corner).

My guess is T. fortunei ? It looks great.

Trachycarpus (not sure about the species) Darjeeling, India

trachy.jpg

Licuala bachmaensis: My Son, Vietnam

These palms are one of several Licualas used to make the ubiquitous 'non la' (conical hat)

b.jpg

Thank you for sharing! I never knew licualas were used to make the 'non la'

Beautiful photos everyone. Will & Steve, the photos in post #4 and # 10 are exceptional. That P. theophrastii pic is killer too.

Here are a few pics of Pritchardia martii in habitat on Oahu, Hawaii, leeward side taken on a PRA a few years back.

Sparse scattered populations, so no spectacular groves in this particular area. Beautiful none the less.

Tim

A couple more.

Tim

it will be a very log topic, won't be?

Very nice pritchardia...

Nice pritchardias! I've never seen habitat pictures of them before

it will be a very log topic, won't be?

Very nice pritchardia...

I hope so!

Mediterranean fan palm in the mountains of Tramuntana.

It's an article in english, with photos from habitats:

http://tobiasvalentin.dk/?page_id=425

To view it, please scroll down on the page.

Edited April 5, 201412 yr by Tobias Valentin

Rhopalostylis sapida, Waipatiki Beach NZ.