Palms
Palms is a large group of mainly tropical trees, shrubs and vines (approx. 2600 species). They have large leaves mainly found at the top of the trunk. The leaves are basically entire, but split up to become pinnate or palmate. Palms are monocotyledonous plants and their closest relatives in Norway are actually sedges. Here in the palm house, bananas are closer relatives.
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Palm trees cannot be pruned because they only grow at the top. Thus, our large palms will sooner or later hit the glass ceiling and have to be replaced. Our old Kentia palm (Howea belmoreana, described to science in 1870) is now hitting the ceiling. It was planted here at the inauguration in 1901, already then about 6 metres tall.
Some palms are important crop plants. The best known are probably the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), which we have here, the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), and it is their fruits that we use. Other palms can be used, for example, for furniture (rattan), buildings or food (sago). The cultivation of oil palms poses a major biodiversity problem, as species-rich tropical rainforests are cut down to make way for oil palm monocultures.
Only a few palms can be grown outdoors here and it's not easy. The windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), which comes from mountains in Asia, is said to be possible, but for safety's sake we keep it inside in winter.