It was past due time. I have been living in Florida since 1990, have seen countless palms and still can name only a hand full.Well maybe a few more. I should care. After all I live in the "City of Palms" the nickname for Fort Myers. To be fair in the XIX century it was then known as "cow town" before Edison and Ford put it more on the map in the 1880's. Much nicer name. So I should know a few names of palm trees. I don't know that many and haven't lost any sleep over it, but lately I had an epiphany.
Coconut Palm - my favorite - Hemingway loved to mix the milk with rum. Many do. I like it straight.
Calling palm trees "coochie coo" and any other palm tree simply..palm... is not very satisfying. I could make up latin words, as the figusclaremia palmus and probably get away with it because I took Latin. Actually was forced to learn it. Very painful to learn a dead language when you are a kid. But that does not work ethically, I have this thing about truth and honesty and all that stuff. Very annoying. Moving on. Lets focus on Palms. on the "City of Palms".
cabbage palm, palmetto
Maybe I figured that the saying by that dude Aristotle:" the more you know, the less you know" is a good reason to learn less. By deduction I know more because Aristotle said so.I know the royal palm, the Cabbage palm tree,which can be found all over the nurseries of Pine Island and is also called Palmetto palm is Florida State Tree, Sabal tree, Royal Palmof course, The Queen Palm because I found them kinda fugly unless you trim them regularly, The areca palm I know because its a lovely fluffy mess of intertwining palms and has these bamboo like stems. It is actually very attractive.
Royal Palms near famed Mcgregor Blvd.
But where did we get the name "City of Palms" from? I knew it had to do with the Edison family. What the heck, as a Fort Myers RealtorI had to take the tour of the Edison Estate and found out. Anyway I like homes and landscaping, which is a good thing in my profession.So it all made sense. In the late 1880's Thomas and Tootie Edison imported the great Royal Palm which can go as high as 75 feet and started planting them along Riverside Drive later called Mcgregor Blvd.It is now one of the most beautiful boulevard I have ever seen. Don't ask me to learn the Latin version of the palm trees. There are probably 100's of different palms.
LLoyd Nichols
Right Choice Realty LLC
6360 Presidential Court, Suite 4
Fort Myers, FL 33919
cell: 239-810-2980
Fax: 239-463-4826
home office: 239-463-5217
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Website: http://www.mlsouthwestfloridahomes.com
Website Blog:http://ftmyershomesandgardens.blogspot.com/
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