Hobbies And Interests
Date palms
Date palms are widespread throughout the Middle East and other deserts. Its fruit has been harvested for centuries. Dates can be dried and they keep well during long trips through the desert. The male and female flowers are on different trees, but the male tree produces so much pollen that one male tree can fertilize 100 female trees. The female date palm can produce 100 pounds of dates per year. The date palm also produces palm wine, which is made from sap collected from unopened flower stalks. The date palms grow easily from seed or from suckers from the parent plant.
Mazari palm
The Mazari palm grows in the deserts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran. It can grow to 20 feet tall but is often prostrate, as if its leaves are too heavy for it. It often has multiple trunks. The leaves are stiff, fan shaped and blue gray in color. The fruit is about three quarters of an inch long when ripe and bears a very hard seed with a central indentation. Due to its desert habitat the mazari palm is very cold tolerant.
California cotton palm
The California cotton palm is native to desert oases in the southwest United States. It is now very commonly planted in many parts of the world. It grows fast and established plants are cold resistant. The palm can grow to about 60 feet tall and has a single trunk that's 2 1/2 feet or more thick. The trunk is sometimes covered with a layer of dead leaves which may go down to the ground. Often the leaves are removed to reveal the trunk, which is smooth and attractive. The leaf is fan shaped with thready fibers between the leaflets. The flower stalk arches out beyond the leaves and has small round fruit. The seed is small, round and dark glossy red. They germinate very easily, and the palm can even be grown as an indoor plant, though it requires bright indirect light.
Skyduster palm
The Skyduster palm is the palm that lines the streets of the tonier neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and is seen in many Hollywood movies. The tree can grow to 100 feet tall and is much taller and thinner than the California cotton palm but still might wear a cloak of dead leaves. The leaf is also fan shaped. The flower stalk grows out from the leaf base and is longer than the leaf. The fruit is small and round and the seed, like the cotton palm's, is small, red and glossy. It germinates very quickly and thanks to its desert origins can remain dormant for a long time. Despite the great heights it can reach the skyduster makes a good indoor plant.