There are over 2,500 species of palm trees that exist in a range of height, shape, size, and leaf color! Before you move ahead and pick one to grow, you have to keep in mind the Sunshine State’s subtropical and tropical climate! We have compiled a list of Florida Palm Tree Species and the Best Palm Trees in Florida that are perfectly suited for the common occurrence of the weather in the state!
Check out our article on the best dwarf ornamental trees here
Best Palm Trees in Florida
1. Lady Palm
Botanical Name: Rhapis excelsa
Lady Palm produces a cluster of green fronds on thin trunks. This cold-tolerant variety grows up to 10-12 feet tall. Keep it in the shade as the direct sun may cause leaf burn.
2. Red Sealing Wax Palm
Botanical Name: Cyrtostachys renda
Red Sealing Wax has bright red fronds with emerald hues on the top and light green at the bottom. It grows to 35-45 feet tall and does well in partial shade to full sunlight. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
3. Parlor Palms
Botanical Name: Chamaedorea elegans
Parlor palm has delicate fronds with a dainty texture. It can reach a height of 8-10 feet and produces a cluster of flowers, but it’s rare in indoor palms.
Here is the list of the best palm varieties you can grow
4. Coconut Palm Tree
Botanical Name: Cocos nucifera
One of the highly popular palms, it grows the refreshing coconut that we all love! It thrives in full sun and well-draining soil. It grows up to 40-60 feet tall.
5. African Oil Palm
Botanical Name: Elaeis guineensis
This palm variety is perfect for the South Florida landscape. It can attain a height of 50-60 feet. African Oil Palm grows at a medium pace and provides shade quickly, making it one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
6. Chinese Fan Palm
Botanical Name: Livistona chinensis
Chinese fan palm features fountain-like green-blue leaves that droop from the crown. It can grow up to 30-50 feet tall, but you can also keep it as a potted houseplant. It thrives well in full to partial sun.
Here’s everything you need to know about different types of coconuts
7. Pygmy Date Palm
Botanical Name: Phoenix roebelenii
This miniature palm variety offers a bushy crown. It grows up to a height of 7-10 feet. The palm prefers well-draining soil and does well in partial sunlight. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
8. European Fan Palm
Botanical Name: Chamaerops humilis
European fan palm has silver-green leaves with spines that look like a fan. It can do well in full sunlight and shade and grows up to 10-20 feet tall.
9. Buccaneer Palm
Botanical Name: Pseudophoenix sargentii
This palm variety is ideal for warmer regions of South Florida, where it can reach up to 10-25 feet high. This drought-tolerant and low-maintenance palm thrives in full sun. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
10. Montgomery Palm
Botanical Name: Veitchia arecina
This tropical palm is popular in Southwest Florida. It features stiff, feathered, and emerald green fronds. Montgomery Palm grows up to 25-35 feet tall.
11. Alexander Palm
Botanical Name: Archontophoenix alexandrae
Alexander is a single-trunk palm that can grow up to a height of 20-30 feet. This self-cleaning palm does well in full to partial sunny locations.
12. Canary Island Date Palm
Botanical Name: Phoenix canariensis
Native to the warm Canary island, this date palm attains a height of up to 30-60 feet. Its trunk resembles the pineapple skin. Canary Island Date Palm thrives in full sun.
13. Fishtail Palm
Botanical Name: Caryota mitis
This palm has blue-green leaves with rough edges that look like a fishtail. It acquires a height of 10-30 feet. This low-maintenance palm is drought-tolerant and thrives well in full sun to shaded locations. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
14. Foxtail Palm
Botanical Name: Wodyetia bifurcata
Foxtail has fluffy dark to light green leaves that resemble the fox’s tail. It has an attractive thin trunk and grows up to 25-35 feet in height, and prefers full sunlight.
15. Latania Palm
Botanical Name: Latania lontaroides
This sun-loving palm has silver-green foliage that resembles Bismarck’s palm. The fan-shaped fronds can spread 10-15 feet across, and the tree can reach up to 20-30 feet tall. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
16. Paurotis Palm
Botanical Name: Acoelorrhaphe wrightii
Paurotis has a slim trunk and bright green, fan-shaped leaves. This easy-care species is cold-hardy throughout South Florida. It grows 20-30 feet tall in full sun to partial shade.
17. Piccabeen Palm
Botanical Name: Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Piccabeen has long sweeping fronds, making it wind-tolerant. It can grow up to 20-60 feet tall and prefers full sun to partial shade, making it one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
18. Queen Palm
Botanical Name: Syagrus romanzoffiana
Queen’s Palm has glossy pinnate leaves that droop gracefully in a canopy. It produces bright orange dates in clusters. The tree grows to 40-50 feet tall and prefers a sunny location with well-draining, acidic soil.
19. Ribbon Fan Palm
Botanical Name: Livistona decipiens
This cold and salt-tolerant palm has an upright trunk with long fan-shaped leaves. The ribbon palm can reach up to 20-30 feet in height. It does well in full to partial sun and well-drained soil. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
20. Royal Palm
Botanical Name: Roystonea regia
Also popular as Florida Royal Palm, it is a fast-growing, single-trunk palm variety that can grow up to 50-90 feet tall. The tree features feather-like fronds and thrives well in full sun.
21. Silver Bismarck Palm
Botanical Name: Bismarckia nobilis
This single-trunk silver-blue palm tree can fairly withstand dry and hot conditions. It can grow up to 25-40 feet tall and prefers wet but well-draining soil with full sunlight, making it one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
22. Sylvester Palm
Botanical Name: Phoenix sylvestris
This low-maintenance hardy palm has attractive diamond-like cuts on its trunk and produces edible sweet fruits. It attains a height of 20-50 feet and does well in sunny and shaded locations.
For the list of best flowers to grow in Florida, click here
- Scrub Palmetto
Botanical Name: Sabal etonia
With huge fan-shaped leaves growing atop the solitary thin stems, this palm tree is distinct in its features. The beautiful spiky fronds are ideal for ground cover, and it is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
24. Keys Thatch Palm
Botanical Name: Leucothrinax morrisii
Keys Thatch Palm is called Brittle Thatch Palm, as the palm leaves grow on a single, slender stem. This lovely species native to Florida can grow up to 2-3 feet or even as tall as 30-36 feet.
Have a look at the best low-light palms here
25. Golden Cane Palm
Botanical Name: Dypsis lutescens
Golden Cane Palm is another palm species that thrives well in Florida landscapes. This multi-stemmed plant has a bamboo-like appearance, with airy fronds and leaflets growing in a V-shape. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
Check out six potent indoor palm benefits proven in studies here
26. Dwarf Palmetto
Botanical Name: Sabal minor
This species of dwarf palm tree is known as Dwarf palmetto and does not grow taller than 2-3 feet. It is a cold-hardy species and can thrive in temperatures as low as 0°F or -18°C.
27. Needle Palm
Botanical Name: Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Needle Palm is a mini or short bushy palm tree and not a tall and majestic one. With fronds growing in a fan shape, you can easily identify this species because of its thick trunk. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
28. Cabbage Palm
Botanical Name: Sabal palmetto
The Cabbage Palm is the state tree of Florida. This tall palm tree native to Florida can grow up to 80-90 feet. With a gray and bronze-colored fibrous trunk, this tree has the usual fan-shaped leaves and a rounded crown on top of the one single trunk.
Get all the Mule palm tree care information here
29. Florida Thatch Palm
Botanical Name: Thrinax radiate
The Florida Thatch Palm has a slender, single trunk and palmate-leaved crown. This cold-sensitive species works excellently in coastal places in landscapes or containers. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
30. Saw Palmetto
Botanical Name: Serenoa repens
The Saw Palmetto Florida Palm can be identified because of its distinct features like sharp spiky branches, fan-like leaves, and yellow-white blooms. This is a cold-hardy palm species that can grow everywhere in Florida.
31. Mexican Fan Palm
Botanical Name: Washingtonia robusta
Mexican Fan Palm is a fast-growing palm tree species ideal for Florida weather. With a small round crown, the plant features rich green fan-like leaves sitting atop a tall trunk. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
Learn about planting Sago palm seeds here
32. Alexander Palm Tree
Botanical Name: Ptychosperma elegans
Alexander Palm is a small-medium palm tree popular in Florida as it can work well in warm and humid tropical climates. With multi-stemmed trees that are self-cleaning, this tree can grow up to 6-40 feet tall, depending on the location it grows.
33. Florida Silver Palm
Botanical Name: Coccothrinax argentata
With a smooth, thin trunk, Florida Silver Palm features dark blue-green leaves with a fascinating silver underside. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
34. Bismarck Palm Tree
Botanical Name: Bismarckia Nobilis
A silver Bismarck palm tree is native to Madagascar and was named after the first chancellor of the German empire, Otto Von Bismarck. It grows well in South Florida, where the soil is well-draining and moderately wet.
35. Pindo Palm
Botanical Name: Butia Capitata
Pindo Palm is a native of Brazil, but you can easily spot one in Florida. This is another cold-hardy palm that can grow up to 15-25 feet tall. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
Check out the best cold-tolerant palm trees here
36. Arikury Palm
Botanical Name: Syagrus schizophylla
Arikury Palm tree is an ideal small accent palm species that can be perfect for gardeners with limited spaces in Florida. With a drooping and arching habit, the long fronds can grow up to 4-6 feet long.
37. Proctor’s Silver Palm
Botanical Name: Coccothrinax proctorii
Proctor’s Silver Palm is also known as the Cayman Thatch Palm. The silvery-gray drooping, fan-shaped leaves grow on top of the slim stem in a triangular or open crown. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
38. Yellow Latan Palm
Botanical Name: Latania verschaffeltii
This Florida Palm Tree Species is a slow-growing exotic tree that is also one of the Best Palm Trees in Florida. With green, huge, fan-shaped leaves, they grow on plump yellow stems and look similar to the Bismarck Palm.
39. Christmas Palm
Botanical Name: Adonidia merrillii
The Christmas Palm is another Florida Palm Tree Species suitable for small and compact gardens in Florida. It is a fast-growing species with arching green leaves, a slender gray trunk, and tiny cream blooms growing in clusters.
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40. Caribbean Royal Palm
Botanical Name: Roystonea oleracea
Caribbean Royal Palm is considered an imposing, stately palm tree because of its huge, upright, cylindrical trunk. With huge feather-like palmate leaves that are 10-16 feet long, this tree can create a majestic crown. It is one of the best Palm Trees in Florida.
41. Blue Latan Palm
Botanical Name: Latania loddigesii
The stunning Blue Latan Palm tree is another Florida Palm Trees Species and one of the Best Palm Trees in Florida. With a dense crown, the tree also features a slender gray trunk and huge, stiff, silver-blue-colored, fan-shaped leaves.
42. Bottle Palm Tree
Botanical Name: Hyophorbe Lagenicaulis
The Bottle Palm Tree is another flowering plant native to Mauritius and is now naturalized in Hawaii and Florida. It is highly valued because it is grown as an ornamental tree to show off the short, thick, bottle-like trunk that looks thicker at the base.
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greg sands
November 18, 2020 At 7:52 pm
what palms can i grow in palmcoast,fl. really like bottle palms,queen palms,date palms.
Reply
Chris lightoast
February 25, 2021 At 12:35 am
Grow weed . You can always sell it off if you get in a pinch.
Reply
ivyleaguer
January 16, 2022 At 5:13 pm
You should be fine with a Sylvester, and Queen, but I would suggest a mule palm instead of the queen palm. also, consider a washingtonia robusta and the Chinese fan palm. it’s always ideal though to go down to the your local nursery, what they are selling there should work in your area. Good luck😃
Reply
frank
September 15, 2022 At 1:27 am
We live on Amelia Island, about 90 minutes North of Palm Coast. “On the island” ( not off the Island), every Palm does well except Coconut and Royal Palms. I have two large Bottle Palms, growing for over 15 years. The Dwarf Sugar Palm is really great as a screen.
All said: I love the Native Sabal Palm. But the Sylvester is a beauty as well.
Reply
Robert Lauriault
May 15, 2021 At 4:19 am
Greg, don’t try to grow a Bottle Palm in Palm Coast. I probably would freeze within one or two years. But there are plenty of other palm cultivars that will be fine in Palm Coast. Just do a little research on each one you would like to grow.
Reply
Ravensdog
June 23, 2021 At 7:33 pm
I fell in love with another woman…what a bummer.
Reply
Godfred Afful
February 5, 2022 At 12:47 pm
I wish to buy the seed for some of the palms . I leave in Ghana , is it feasible
Reply
Chris lightoast
February 25, 2021 At 12:35 am
Grow weed . You can always sell it off if you get in a pinch.
Reply
ivyleaguer
January 16, 2022 At 5:13 pm
You should be fine with a Sylvester, and Queen, but I would suggest a mule palm instead of the queen palm. also, consider a washingtonia robusta and the Chinese fan palm. it’s always ideal though to go down to the your local nursery, what they are selling there should work in your area. Good luck😃
Reply
frank
September 15, 2022 At 1:27 am
We live on Amelia Island, about 90 minutes North of Palm Coast. “On the island” ( not off the Island), every Palm does well except Coconut and Royal Palms. I have two large Bottle Palms, growing for over 15 years. The Dwarf Sugar Palm is really great as a screen.
All said: I love the Native Sabal Palm. But the Sylvester is a beauty as well.
Reply
what palms can i grow in palmcoast,fl. really like bottle palms,queen palms,date palms.
Grow weed . You can always sell it off if you get in a pinch.
You should be fine with a Sylvester, and Queen, but I would suggest a mule palm instead of the queen palm. also, consider a washingtonia robusta and the Chinese fan palm. it’s always ideal though to go down to the your local nursery, what they are selling there should work in your area. Good luck😃
We live on Amelia Island, about 90 minutes North of Palm Coast. “On the island” ( not off the Island), every Palm does well except Coconut and Royal Palms. I have two large Bottle Palms, growing for over 15 years. The Dwarf Sugar Palm is really great as a screen. All said: I love the Native Sabal Palm. But the Sylvester is a beauty as well.
Greg, don’t try to grow a Bottle Palm in Palm Coast. I probably would freeze within one or two years. But there are plenty of other palm cultivars that will be fine in Palm Coast. Just do a little research on each one you would like to grow.
I fell in love with another woman…what a bummer.
I wish to buy the seed for some of the palms . I leave in Ghana , is it feasible
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