The Princess Palm is another of those palms that have their origins in the Mascarene Islands where they occur in coastal forests. Unfortunately in their native habitat they are almost extinct as the heart of the palm is regarded as…
Read more
An estuary is a partly concealed body of water where fresh water from rivers and canals mixes with the salty and brackish waters of the open sea. Estuaries facilitate the development of various land forms at the coast such as…
Read more
Laboratory drawings are a very important part of botany laboratory work and for botany studies as a whole. In order for a student or botanist to describe the level of understanding of the plant specimen, the laboratory drawing has to…
Read more
Laboratory drawings are part of the documentation skills necessary for properly documenting a scientific study. Where observation of structures is part of the study, laboratory drawings should be included in the lab journal under “Results”. Where the study is bound…
Read more
Psilotum is a genus that has only two species. They are Psilotum nudum and Psilotum flaccidum. The word Psilotum is derived from the Greek word Psilos which means naked or bare which is in regard to its lack of true…
Read more
The Chinese Fan Palm (Livistonia chinensis) is a most attractive palm and one of the easiest of the fan-leaf palms to grow. Its elegant, weeping habit and symmetrical canopy give it great value as a decorative specimen. It will thrive…
Read more
The Majesty Palm (Ravenea rivularis) (also called Majestic Palm) is a most ‘majestic’ palm and draws many favourable comments wherever it is planted. The palms of the Ravenea genus are all endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros. The genus as…
Read more
The Queen or Cocos Palm is endemic to South America, occurring naturally from southern Brazil to Argentina. It was once classified as Cocos plumosa under the Cocos genus but is now known as Syagrus romanzoffiana. Syagrus is the genus of…
Read more
The term ‘Areca Palm’ may be used to describe any number of plants within the genus Areca. The term is also used specifically for the palm, Dypsis lutescens (also called Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) which goes by the common names of Butterfly…
Read more
The Fishtail Palms belong to the genus Caryotis. It gets the name, Fishtail Palm, from the fishtail shape of the leaflets. There are a dozen or so Caryotis species endemic to Asia and the South Pacific. It is the only…
Read more