Feather-like fronds (pinnate) are found on some of the most popular and common palm tree types like the Areca Palm, Coconut Palm, Queen Palm, and Date Palm. If the tree has fan-like leaves, the most common are the Bismarck Palm, Mexican Fan Palm, and Windmill Palm.
The surface of these trunks vary, too. Some are smooth whereas others have leaf bases layered in a criss-cross pattern. Most palm trees have straight trunks but other common varieties like the Coconut Palm have tapered trunks.
Some common distinguishable flowers include: the Areca Palm with bright yellow flowers, the Bottle Palm with small white flowers, and the Coconut Palm with sweet-scented yellow flowers. [8] X Research source
There are some dwarf varieties that only reach 10 feet (3. 0 m) while others can grow as large as 100 feet (30 m).
Coconut palms have single gray trunks and long pinnate leaves, but they are most distinguishable for growing coconuts, which they do all year long for up to 80 years. Wild coconut palms may grow up to 100 feet (30 meters) tall but they are much shorter when cultivated. Chinese fan palms, or fountain palms, are known for the drooping ends of palmate fronds. They have short, fat trunks that are gray and marked with scars of old fronds. The petioles are thorny and the fronds range in color from blue-green to olive green. Fronds may be as much as 5 feet (1. 5 meters) wide. Carpentaria palms consist of pinnate leaves atop a slender gray trunk marked with scars of old fronds. They are most distinguishable by the bright red fruits that grow in clusters beginning when the palm is about 6 years old.
Bottle palms or dwarf palms are so named because of their bottle-shaped trunks covered with the ends of old fronds. They seldom grow taller than 10 feet (3 meters) and are often seen in pots. Bottle palms have pinnate leaves. Lady palms grow slowly to heights of 10 feet (3 meters) outdoors. They may be as wide as they are tall because of multiple trunks. They have bright green or dark green palmate fronds, but the fronds are deeply divided, making them look like almost pinnate. The petioles have no thorns.
Queen palms grow as much as 6 feet (2 meters) a year to a maximum height of 40 feet (12 meters). Their trunks are singular, gray, and smooth with scars of old fronds. The fronds are dark green and pinnate, with doubled leaflets. Royal palms grow relatively quickly to heights up to 70 feet (21 meters). Their trunks are singular, gray, and marked with the scars of old fronds. The fronds are pinnate, dark green and may be as long as 10 feet (3 meters).