Day 23

 Riding in Florida I see a lot of flora and fauna. One thing there are a lot of in Florida is palm trees. I decided on today's ride to count the number of different palms I see. I started this count on my way back home. 

Cabbage Palm

The first palm I saw was the sabal palm or cabbage palm which is also the State tree for the State of Florida. There are a lot of these palms around. These palms have been planted to line the Causeway where I ride and grow wild in the marsh areas on the north end of the bay.

Mexican Fan Palm

The next palm I saw was the Mexican Fan palm. There is one sticking up in the picture of the Sabal palm. They look similar to the Sabal and till now I thought they were the same, only taller. But upon closer inspection there are some differences in the palm fronds and the base. Did not know this till today.

Date Palm

The third palm I saw today was a date palm. Or as the horticulturist call it the Phoenix dactylifera , Growing up we had one of these in our yard and had a great time swinging on the fronds that came close to the ground. Never did try and eat any of the fruit from them.

Saw Palmetto

As I rode I came across a saw palmetto. This palm grows low to the ground and spreads. Sometimes it grows so thick you cannot get through it. As a Boy Scout we used this palm often to make sticks for cooking hotdogs and marshmallows over campfires.

  

Queen Palm

Across the street I found a queen palm. These palms seem to be all over this area. I assume that landscapers like it because it grows quickly. I think that they are kind of a messy looking palm but that is just my opinion.

Bamboo Palm

Riding on I found a bamboo palm growing on the corner of a lot. I have one of these palms in my backyard. It is a very fast growing palm and requires some maintenance cleaning up after it drops its palm fronds and lots of fruit. Every so often I have to do major pruning to keep it from taking over the back yard. According to the attached article some of my palms are nearing their maximum height.

Dwarf Date Palm

Another palm I see quite often in landscapes is the dwarf date palm. They are usually planted in groups like this. My neighbor has one of these palms in his yard and I see him several times a year trimming off the fronds and have started to turn brown with age.

Royal Palm

As I rode on I found a royal palm. These palms are similar to a palm I have in my yard. The difference is the royal palm has a bright green area on the trunk just under the fronds. They are quite impressive palms. I remember visiting Sarasota Florida and many of the streets there are lined with these palms.

Sago Palm

I have included this because the "sago palm" looks like a palm tree but according to Wikipedia it is not. The sago cycad is originally from Japan and all parts of the plant are poisonous.

Bismark Palm

Next I found a bismarck palm. This is one of my favorite palms that grows around here. They have very large grey/green fronds. It is an impressive plant. There were two growing by the fountain in Safety Harbor but I think lightning struck one and it has died. I hope the city replaces it. 

Christmas Palm 

I found a group of these Christmas palms next on my ride. They are pretty palms and look similar to the royal palm. These were planted about two years ago and seem to like where they are.

Foxtail Palm

A foxtail palm was right nextdoor the the Christmas palms. This is the palm I have in my front yard. Each year it produces an abundance of fruit that I have been growing. I have a bunch of foxtail palms in pots and I often take the seeds with me when I ride and toss them where they might grow. This one also has fruit growing on it. Right now they are small green clusters but eventually they will ripen, turn bright orange and fall off.

Coconut Palm

The last type of palm on my ride is the palm a bet a lot of you think of when you envision a palm tree. The coconut palm. surprisingly this is the only example of this type of palm I have seen around Safety Harbor. If you look closely you can see two coconuts still on the tree. I know there must be others in the area because I have seen coconuts floating in the bay. If I ever see the owner of this lot I'm going to ask if I can have a coconut to try and grow.