Palms are iconic trees, the image representing tropical desert islands, with their tall trunks topped with an impressive crown of divided leaves. However, while some palms thrive in these exposed, sunny places, some even growing on the savannahs and surviving drought and fires, the majority grow in tropical and subtropical forests where they tend to be more shaded.The palm family, Arecaceae, is huge, with around 2,650 species. Most have a solitary trunk, ranging from pencil-thin to extremely stout, but there are also palms that form clumps, are low-growing and some are climbers, such as the rattans.
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