I always thought that a palm tree was only for decoration, except for coconuts and dates. How wrong was I?
There are a lot of uses for Palm trees that I didn't realize. Obviously we see the fronts being used in the making of thatched roofs. However, every part of the palm tree, including the roots have uses. They are actually one of the most widely used trees on the planet!
Coconut trees can produce for around 70 years and then they are cut down and replaced. The wood used to be thrown out as garbage. However, now it is being used as a hardwood replacement for building material. Once properly dried and cured it is much harder than oak.
Palm tree fruit is used for oil, biodiesel, wax, jelly, wine and palm hearts (for salads)
There are health benefits from Saw Palmetto and Acai berries, both coming from palms.
The Pindo palm fruit is used for jelly and wine. The juice of the Toddy Palm is used to make a type of beer, called sky beer.
The Puerto Rican Hat Palm is famous for it's straw hats. The leaves are used for all types of furniture, decorations, etc.
The Sugar palm has a sap that is used to make sugar. It is collected basically the same as maple is from maple trees. The fruit from Wax Palms in Columbia are harvested to make one of the best candle waxes on the market. It is a soft textured wax that holds fragrance easily.
The very inner part of the trunk is called the 'palm heart'. We eat those in our salads all the time! The removal of the palm heart obviously kills the palm, but fortunately, palms are one of the fastest growing renewal resources we have.
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