37 Types of Palm Trees That Grow Well in Florida
Looking for a palm tree to add to your florida landscape or garden space? There are many different types of palm trees that grow well in the sunshine state. In this article, we take a look at our favorite palm trees of all shapes and sizes that will compliment any Florida landscape!
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If you live in warm and sunny Florida and want to decorate your home landscape, planting one or more palm tree varieties can be a great option. While there are plenty of other trees you can grow in Florida’s diverse climates, palms are a mainstay.
But with so many different types of palm trees to choose from, selecting the right trees for healthy growth and the desired appearance can be a bit of a challenge!
There are dozens of types of palm trees that can thrive in Florida, which can vary greatly in both size and appearance. Some, such as dwarf palmettos, rarely grow taller than 3-feet, while the most giant palm trees can easily reach 100 feet.
You also need to consider factors such as appearance, requirements for light and water, and which habitable zone you live in (Florida has four designated hardiness zones between 8-11).
So, how do you get started? How about reading through a massive list of palm trees that thrive in Florida? We’ve compiled a giant list of our favorite palms that will excel in Florida, and we’ve included important information such as the plant’s size and sun exposure needs. Ready to learn more? Let’s dig in!
African Oil Palm
Scientific Name: Elaeis guineensis
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Western Africa
- Plant Size: 50-65 ft (15-20 m)
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10b-11
The African oil palm tree is non-native to Florida but has become popular in Florida due to its rapid growth, attractive vase-shaped trunk, and a large crown of 2-foot-long leaves. The African oil is an excellent choice for home landscapes because it grows quickly and offers a pleasing crown of 20-40 leaves, providing plenty of shade.
African Oil palms are one of the most oil-producing plants on the planet, growing bunches of orangish-red oily fruits that weigh between 11-66 lbs. For this reason, the African oil palm has been and continues to be culturally significant to many African tribes.
Areca Palm
Scientific Name: Dypsis lutescens
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Eastern Madagascar, Africa
- Plant Size: 20-35 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Plant Zone: 10-11
The Areca palm tree is one of the most common palm trees and is widespread throughout the U.S. and Europe as an indoor plant. When grown indoors with less light, they reach about 7 feet in height. The Areca palm also does well in the warm outdoor climates of central and southern Florida. This palm is easy to care for and is heat resistant.
The Areca palm can be grown in clusters, similar to bamboo. This clustering, and the tree’s 2-feet-long leaflets that grow in an exciting v-shape, make them a great choice for a tropical-style privacy hedge.
Bangalow Palm
Scientific Name: Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Australia
- Plant Size: 60 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10a
The Bangalow palm is native to Australia and a popular tree for landscapes. Its drooping red fruit clusters and lavender blooms create an interesting visual appeal.
This tree does well in containers or the ground, growing in a range of soils and requiring average water needs and full sun. Some areas around the world have begun to investigate the possibility of the Bangalow palm being an invasive species. Still, there is currently no legal issue with its growth in Florida.
Bismarck Palm
Scientific Name: Bismarckia nobilis
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Madagascar
- Plant Size: 20-40 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 9a-11
The Bismarck palm tree is highly sought after throughout Florida with its striking silvery-blue foliage and an unusually short, fat trunk. The Bismarck is also drought tolerant with average water requirements.
The leaves on a Bismarck palm are classified as “costapalmate,” meaning that they produce a wedge-shaped hastula where the petiole meets the blade. The leaves can grow to be about 10-ft wide and grow in clustered segments of around 20 leaves each. Bismarcks are dioecious, meaning that there are distinct male and female versions of the tree.
Buccaneer Palm
Scientific Name: Pseudophoenix sargentii
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: North and South America
- Plant Size: 10-25 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10a-11
Native to Florida, the Buccaneer palm is an excellent choice if you are interested in a low-maintenance palm tree. It does well in full sun to lightly shaded areas and is classified as drought tolerant. It’s also saltwater tolerant, and its seeds have been known to germinate after up to two years in storage.
You can find Buccaneer palms in various colors, including silver-gray, blue, and green. The leaf fronds grow in long, graceful fans, and the trunk is smooth with a swollen lower section. It’s exceptionally slow-growing and can be grown indoors for the first several years if you wish to do so.
Photo credit: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image use allowed with attribution)
Cabbage Palm
Scientific Name: Sabal palmetto
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: The Bahamas, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas
- Plant Size: 30-80 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 8a-10b
The Sabal, or Cabbage palm, is a very tall palm tree native to Florida. In fact, the Sabal was named Florida’s official state tree in 1953. This tree is flood-tolerant and actually prefers poorly drained soil for optimal growth.
Seeds germinate quickly for the Sabal palm, but the seedlings are slow-growing, often taking as long as 15-30 years to develop a visible trunk (in nature). The large leaves of the Sabal palm are dull in finish and either green or greenish-yellow in color.
Canary Island Date Palm
Scientific Name: Phoenix canariensis
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Canary Islands
- Plant Size: 40-60+ ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 8a-11
The Canary Island Date palm is a dioecious species of palm named for its native habitat. It has a thick 2-3 ft trunk and a round crown of dark green leaves with a feather-like appearance. This palm is incredibly resistant to cold, down to 14°F, which has led to it being one of the most widely spread palms on earth. Some specimens are grown as far north as London, England.
The Canary Island Date does well in full sun and well-drained soil, but it will handle drought or flood conditions with relatively good results. The seedlings usually begin to develop leaves after one year and a trunk after five years.
Chinese Fan Palm
Scientific Name: Livistona Chinensis
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Asia
- Plant Size: 30-40 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Plant Zone: 8a-11
This Asian palm is a slow-growing tree that will eventually reach up to 40 feet in height with costapalmate (fan-shaped) leaves that grow as long as 6 feet in length. The drooping green leaves have earned it the nickname the “fountain palm.” They are tolerant of an extensive range of soil compositions and need to be fertilized with a slow-release fertilizer in spring and summer.
Chinese Fan palms are slightly resistant to saltwater and do well for sustained periods in drought conditions. One important maintenance task to remember, is only cutting away entirely dead leaves. Cutting older, non-dead leaves away can lead to potassium deficiency.
Christmas Palm
Scientific Name: Adonidia merrillii
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: the Philippines
- Plant Size: 15-20 ft.
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10a-11
The Christmas palm tree, also known as the Manila palm, is a popular choice for Florida landscaping because it thrives in small spaces. This tree will grow very quickly, up to 6 feet, before slowing down until it reaches its tallest height of about 20 feet.
The green leaves of the Christmas palm are typically 4-5 feet in length and feather-like in appearance. You can plant this tree in clusters of 2-4 plants, which will grow out of each other with curving trunks. Maintenance for Christmas palms is easy as the tree tolerates most soils very well and is self-cleaning.
Coconut Palm
Scientific Name: Cocos nucifera
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: South Pacific
- Plant Size: 90 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10a-11
Perhaps the prototypical palm tree, the Coconut palm, is used throughout Florida for decorative landscaping and as a commercial crop in coconut oil and fruit production. After six years, the tree begins to fruit and reaches full production after 15 years with between 50-200 coconuts per year.
Coconut palms grow in a range of soils and are moderately tolerant of drought, flooding, and saltwater. There are many cultivars of coconut palms, so if you are interested in growing coconut palm trees, find one that will reach the size and level of fruit production you desire.
Dwarf Palmetto
Scientific Name: Sabal minor
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: U.S. Coastal Southeast
- Plant Size: 2-7 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Plant Zone: 7b-11
The Dwarf Palmetto is a small, extra-hardy palm that grows well in moist or dry soils as well as in light shade or sunny locations. Its leaves usually grow several feet wide and are greenish-blue in color.
The blooms of the Dwarf Palmetto are white, and it produces a fragrant fruit that is small, black, and round. The fruit contains a single seed and can be eaten.
European Fan Palm
Scientific Name: Chamaerops humilis
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Western Mediterranean region
- Plant Size: 5-10 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 8a-11
This small, clustering palm can give a garden a unique look thanks to its grouping growth and green, spine-like leaves. Also known as the Moroccan Fan or Mediterranean Fan palm, this is the northernmost natural-growing palm globally and does well in even the coolest Florida climates.
It has palmate leaves that add a taste of the tropics to any landscaping. Because it grows compactly, it can work well in a small garden. It is known as the only palm native to Europe, which is why it does well in cooler weather.
Fishtail Palm
Scientific Name: Caryota mitis
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Southeast Asia
- Plant Size: 10-12 ft
- Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Shade
- Plant Zone: 9b-11
This small to medium-sized palm is a fun choice for outdoor or container growing. It requires less light than most palms on this list and does best in moist, well-drained soil. The tree earns its name due to its light-green leaves that are shaped like a fish tailfin.
This tree is exceptionally hardy and easy to grow. However, a critical note for the Fishtail palm is that the small, red fruit it produces is poisonous when ingested. Additionally, contact on the skin may cause a painful burn.
Florida Royal Palm
Scientific Name: Roystonea regia
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Florida, Cuba
- Plant Size: 50-70 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10a-11
This large tree grows quickly to a height of 70 feet with a 25-foot wide crown and a 2-foot wide trunk. It is often used in commercial spaces, as it can be too large for residential landscapes.
These trees are self-cleaning, dropping about one leaf per month, but you should be careful if planting this tree near your home. The green, fan-shaped leaves can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh as much as 50 pounds, which poses a hazard to people and property when the leaves fall.
Florida Silver Palm
Scientific Name: Coccothrinax argentata
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: U.S. Southeast coast and the Florida Keys
- Plant Size: 6-10 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Plant Zone: 10b-11
This tree is native to Florida and does best in the warmer 10 and 11 zones. It can grow up to 20 feet but usually only reaches 6-10 feet. The leaves of the silver palm grow on long, drooping stalks and are a dark bluish-green with a silver color underneath.
The Florida silver palm does very well in a wide range of soils, but you will need to plant it in a well-drained area. It is drought, salt, and shade-tolerant, making it a versatile tree that you can place practically anywhere in your landscape.
Florida Thatch Palm
Scientific Name: Thrinax radiata
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean
- Plant Size: 20 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Plant Zone: 10a-11
The Florida Thatch offers an attractive appearance with its slender trunk and dense canopy of radiating, fan-shaped leaves. It does best in full sun but can still grow well in partial shade.
It is salt and drought-tolerant and requires well-drained soil for solid growth. These trees received their name because they produce thatch that has been used to thatch roofs for many years. They are mostly used today as ornamental trees.
Foxtail Palm
Scientific Name: Wodyetia bifurcata
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Queensland, Australia
- Plant Size: 30-50 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 10-11
The Foxtail Palm derives its scientific name from Wodyeti, the recorded name of the Australian aboriginal man who brought the tree’s existence to the attention of botanists in the late 1970s. The tree’s common name refers to its dark green leaves that have a bushy, fox-tail-like appearance.
This fast-growing tree is a popular choice for outdoor landscaping but can be grown indoors if given adequate light and water. The tree is drought tolerant and prefers well-drained soil but should be watered regularly. The Foxtail palm’s seeds are poisonous if ingested.
Key Thatch Palm
Scientific Name: Leucothrinax morrisii
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean
- Plant Size: 3-36 ft
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Plant Zone: 9b-11
The Key Thatch is a solitary palm that grows with a brown or gray trunk and pale-green or yellow-green leaves. This palm tree will grow year-round outside. However, many people grow it in a container for a beautiful indoor garden.
This tree does its best growing in full sun and well-drained soil. It does well in alkaline soils that should be kept consistently moist. This palm tree grows pretty slowly, but after allowing seeds to ripen, you can store them for future planting.
Photo Credit: KATHERINE WAGNER-REISS,King Palm
Also called the Alexander Palm, and often confused with the Alexandra Palm, this tree is a tall, solitary palm that you can plant in full sun or partial shade. It produces white flowers year-round with red, pea-sized fruits. King Palms prefer more water than most and can do well in poorly drained areas. When grown in full sun and provided with adequate water, this tree will grow about 1-3 feet per year. The Lady palm has other names, such as the Bamboo palm and Lady Finger palm. It is a small tree that rarely grows taller than 10 feet high and has glossy, dark-green leaves that grow in segments of 4 to 10 leaves. Lady palms spread underground, eventually forming thickets or clusters that can be valuable in a residential landscape as a natural privacy screen between neighboring properties. Lady palms adapt well to many soils, as long as proper moisture is maintained. They are drought-resistant once their roots have been established. The Latania palm or Red Latan palm is a slow-growing tree that will eventually reach about 40-feet in height. It has fan-shaped leaves that are reddish when the tree is young before finally turning green. There are also Blue and Yellow Latania palms. The Latania palm does well in full sun and prefers moist, well-drained soil. Unfortunately, the Latania palm is endangered, with only a few trees still growing in nature. Seeds are available from sellers and palm tree enthusiasts online, but they can be hard to come by as importing or exporting endangered plants into the United States is illegal. The monolithic Mexican Fan palm is a giant palm that can reach heights of up to 100 feet. Because of their size, Mexican Fan palms are more often planted in commercial areas. This striking palm tree has fan-shaped leaves about 4-5 feet wide and 6 feet long. After reaching roughly 30 feet, this palm will drop leaves and become self-cleaning, but before that, you must carefully remove dead leaves to keep the tree healthy. This medium tall, solitary palm tree typically grows to be about 10 to 15 feet tall, but some specimens have grown to be 80 feet or more. The Montgomery palm has a thin, gray trunk and green leaves that can be up to 9-feet long. The Montgomery palm is a common sight in Florida, thanks partly to its fast growth and ability to tolerate temperatures as low as 30°F. This palm tree prefers sunny locations with moist, well-drained soil. It is not uncommon for this tree to hybridize with other palm species in the same landscape. Photo Credit: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. (Image use allowed with attribution) A shrub-like, almost trunkless palm that is perhaps the hardiest of all palm trees, the Needle palm can be grown in a massive range of zones and practically any amount of light. It has large, glossy green leaves that are stiff and pointy, which has earned the plant its common name. The Needle palm requires some pruning, but you should take extra care with its sharp, spine-like leaves. This palm tree should be watered regularly. However, you should be careful not to overwater it, especially near the base. As its name suggests, the Parlor palm is a small palm tree that is often container-grown indoors. It requires minimal pruning and can be grown in small clusters of varying sizes for an appealing multi-level effect. Parlor palms may reach taller heights of up to 8 feet when grown outside. This palm tree can handle drying out or over-watering but does its best in consistently moist soil. A good mantra for caring for a Parlor palm tree is: Shaded, Sheltered, and Moist. A native of wet, swampy areas like the Florida Everglades, the Paurotis palm has light green leaves and clusters of fruits that move from green to orange to black as they ripen and fall off the tree. Despite its wet natural habitat, this palm tree is drought tolerant and can grow in a variety of soils, from acidic to alkaline. You should trim away the Paurotis palm’s dead leaves and fruits consistently to maintain the tree’s pleasing appearance. Originally from the Cayman Islands, the Proctor’s Silver or Cayman thatch palm tree has been brought to Florida and continues to grow in popularity. This medium-sized tree is a phenomenal choice for landscapes, thanks to its leaves’ silvery-white bottoms and symmetrical divisions. It is a slow but easy grower that will only take up a little space in your garden and does quite well in coastal or inland environments. You can also grow one indoors and can even tend to it in the same way that you would a small bonsai tree. Photo Credit: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image use allowed with attribution) You can spot the Pygmy Date palm tree throughout Florida’s residential yards and commercial spaces. It is a single-trunk palm but people often plant them in clumps of 3-5 trees. Some people cultivate them to curve the trunks away from the central space for an interesting visual appearance. This palm tree is adaptable to most soil types, but Pygmy Date palms in Florida are often found to have a potassium deficiency. Applying a palm tree-specific fertilizer can address this issue to keep the tree healthy. Used as an ornamental tree in yards throughout Florida, the Queen palm is a medium-sized tree with an open crown and drooping, fluffy fronds of dark green leaves. The fruit of the Queen palm is bright orange and attracts many different kinds of birds and mammals. You should plant the Queen palm in full sun or light shade. It is easy to grow because it is a hardy tree that is drought and frost-resistant. It prefers acidic soils and should be fertilized twice per year with a manganese-rich fertilizer. The Red Sealing Wax palm tree, or Lipstick palm tree, is named for its distinctive, deep-red crownshaft. It is common in many areas in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Borneo, and Sumatra. However, is not seen very often in Florida. Despite its rarity in Florida, this tree does well in USDA Zone 11, thriving in full sun and consistently moist soil. Consider taking the time to hunt down this palm tree if you want to capture the unique tropical feel of Southeast Asia. With leaves that split into many different segments and droop down with an interesting ribbon-like appearance, this palm tree can add a more delicate, lilting appearance to a landscape than other palms. This tree is best grown outdoors in full sun and well-drained soil. The imposing Royal palm tree, sometimes called the Imperial palm or Venezuelan Royal palm, is a towering solitary tree that grows throughout the tropics and subtropics. It thrives on the high rainfalls of the rainforests. Compared to the previously mentioned Florida Royal Palm, this royal palm tree is taller, with a fatter trunk and about twice the rate of growth. Another hardy palm, the Saw palmetto, can be grown in an extensive range of temperatures, light levels, and soils. In ideal conditions, this palm will grow in a creeping ground cover with multiple trunks and fan-shaped leaves. The flowers of the Saw palmetto are used to create commercial-grade honey. The small, round fruits of the plant are a valuable food source for many birds and other animals. Saw palmettos are slow-growing but can survive on rainfall alone and don’t require any special pruning or maintenance. Another great palmetto for use as a ground cover plant, this tree spreads beneath the ground with an S-shaped stem. The Scrub palmetto usually has between 5-8 leaves with Y-shaped tips and small, white flowers that bloom in spring. This plant is drought-tolerant and grows well when planted as an accent under large trees that offer a mix of sun and shade. The Scrub palmetto adapts to acidic or alkaline soils, but the soil should be kept moist. Scrub Palmettos do not do well in flood-like conditions. The Solitaire palm is believed to be one of the oldest living palm species in the world. It was initially described by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown in 1810. The Solitaire palm is a small to a medium-sized palm tree that does well in full or partial sun. This tree can be grown outdoors in the appropriate zones or indoors in a container. It is a self-cleaning palm, meaning that dead fronds will drop off the crown without you needing to tend to the tree. Native to India, this slow-growing palm tree is commercially cultivated for its wild dates that are used in the production of sugar, jelly, and an alcoholic drink called a “toddy.” The tree is also known as the Toddy Palm or Wild Date Palm, thanks to its fruit. The Sylvester palm tree is also a favorite tree for landscape decoration because of its blue-green leaves, yellow flowers, and textured trunk. These palm trees require a lot of sunlight but can tolerate some shade. We already discussed the Latania palm or Red Latan palm tree, which is closely related to the Yellow Latan palm. Like its sister species, the Yellow Latan is a dioecious-type tree that grows on Madagascar and throughout the Mascarene Archipelago. This species of Latania is not as common in Florida, but it does grow well throughout USDA zones 10 and 11. It is a slow grower that reaches up to 40 feet in height and has beautiful yellow-green leaves. There are dozens of types of palm trees perfect for Florida yards and gardens. There are plenty of fantastic options for Florida’s diverse climate, including many in different sizes, shapes, and colors. You can even grow separate indoor and outdoor gardens with palm trees for each. Some palms are grown as decorations, others can provide shade or water retention for your yard. These low-maintenance trees are a perfect addition to any tropical feeling landscape.
Scientific Name: Archontophoenix alexandrae
Lady Palm
Scientific Name: Rhapis excelsa
Latania Palm
Scientific Name: Latania lontaroides
Mexican Fan Palm
Scientific Name: Washingtonia robusta
Montgomery Palm
Scientific Name: Veitchia arecina
Needle Palm
Scientific Name: Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Parlor Palm
Scientific Name: Chamaedorea elegans
Paurotis Palm
Scientific Name: Acoelorrhaphe wrightii
Proctor’s Silver Palm
Scientific Name: Coccothrinax proctorii
Pygmy Date Palm
Scientific Name: Phoenix roebelenii
Queen Palm
Scientific Name: Syagrus romanzoffiana
Red Sealing Wax Palm
Scientific Name: Cyrtostachys renda
Ribbon Fan Palm
Scientific Name: Livistona decipiens
Royal Palm
Scientific Name: Roystonea oleracea
Saw Palmetto
Scientific Name: Serenoa repens
Scrub Palmetto
Scientific Name: Sabal etonia
Solitaire Palm
Scientific Name: Ptychosperma elegans
Sylvester Palm
Scientific Name: Phoenix sylvestris
Yellow Latan Palm
Scientific Name: Latania verschaffeltii
Final Thoughts
