There are more than 2,500 species of palm trees in different parts of the world and most are available in the United States. Some of the most common species found in Florida and California include the Florida Royal Palm, coconut palms and the Canary Island Date Palm.

According to the structure of the leaves, palms are classified as palmate or fan shaped, pinnate or feather shaped and bipinnate. The only palm under bipinnate is the fish tail palm that carries the Caryota genus. Yet another classification of palms is named for their ability to survive extreme weather conditions like cold and drought. Cold hardy palm trees can withstand very cold winters and are the most common type of palms found in America. The drought hardy palm can survive on very small amounts of water.

In America, palm trees come in two different varieties -- Southern Palms and Northern Palms. The northern palms are cold hardy and can withstand extreme winter temperatures. The Pakistan Palm, Needle Palm, Saw Palmetto and the Windmill Palm are examples of cold hardy palms. They can be grown in minus temperatures but need adequate cold protection. The southern palms are found in southern parts of the United States and in coastal regions. They thrive well in saline soils and are best replanted during summers. The Cabbage Palm reaches an average height of 40-50 feet and is found in North America and South America. It is a flexible and adaptable outdoor variety that requires large quantities of water immediately after transplantation.

The Fish Tail Palm is native to southern Florida and southern California and thrives well in almost all varieties of sun and shade conditions. They do require fertile soils and reach an average height of 15-25 feet and an average width of 3 to 4.5 meters. To reach their average height of 60 feet, the Canary Island Date Palms need plenty of sunlight and survive well in well-drained, moist soils. They are native to Central Florida, Southern Louisiana and Texas and coastal California. The Florida Royal Palm leaves average around 36 inches and grow as tall as 50-80 feet. They require acidic soils and good sunshine and grow fast in well-fertilized soils.

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