Palms have been used for everything from
thatching roofs to making walking sticks.

Not everything that looks like a palm tree is a palm tree. They're all amazingly versatile.

Anare (Geonoma vaga): the stem is made into walking sticks.

Cabbage Palm (Roystonea oleracea): the terminal bud is edible.

Camwell (Desmoncus major): the stem is used for basket making.

Carat (Sabal mauritiiformis): the leaves are used for thatch.

Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera): Growing 80 feet or more, the fruits are large and round and covered with smooth thick husks. These palms formed the great copra plantations. The leaves are good for thatch.

Cocorite (Maximiliana caribaea): the leaves are used for thatch, the kernels for edible palm oil.

Cycad (Cyas spp): Often mistaken for a palm because of its appearance, this tree has changed little in over 200 million years. Its crown of large fern-like leaves makes it a popular ornamental.

Gri-Gri (Bactris cuesa): the fruit is edible.

Gru-Gru (Acrocomia aculsata): the fruit, kernel and leaf bud are all edible; the trunk is made into walking sticks.

Mamoo (Calamus rotang): the leaves are made into handicrafts.

Manac (Euterpe oleracea): the leaf bud is edible.

Roseau (Bactris major): the stem is used for thatching.

Royal Palm (Roystonea regia): Originating in Cuba but now widely distributed, these tall stately palms (60-100 feet) have leaves that grow to 15 feet in length.

Timite (Manicaria saccifera): the leaves are used for thatching.

Traveler's Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis): Closer related to the banana than palm trees, the tree is a popular ornamental because its leaves grow vertically to look like a single huge fan.

Screw Palm (Pandanus utilis): Also called a screw pine, it is not a palm or a tree but a shrub. It branches out at ground level and the stems look like stilt roots. The leaves, about 5 feet in length, can be used for brushes, thatch or basket weaving.

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