Talk:Arecaceae

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[edit] Redundant?

" palms also inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range" - isn't a species' 'range' defined by the habitats where it naturally lives - so obviously the palm, and every other species, inhabits every type of habitat within its range. If it doesnt live in a particular habitat, that habitat is not a part of its natural range.


[edit] General Description

What are the characteristics of the palm tree?


[edit] Need more scientific information

This entry is strongly influenced by the Bible of which there is no breakdown of scientific value.

Agreed. I have added more information on the characteristics of palms and evolution. SCHZMO ✍ 14:10, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Scottish palm trees

Arent there palm trees on the scottish coast becuase of the warming effect of the gulf stream? you can see them in the film the wicker man I think —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.2.179.168 (talk • contribs) .

That is true. The planted palms in Scotland are probably Trachycarpus species, most likely Trachycarpus fortunei which is hardy in Scotland (zone 7). SCHZMO ✍ 23:36, 19 May 2006 (UTC)
Yes, mostly Trachycarpus fortunei, though a few other species are grown to a small extent. Western Scotland is zone 9. - MPF 23:46, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Removed Sago Palm reference

Sago Palms are Cycads, not real palms. See Cycads for citation. --Thresher 13:35, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

There is also a true palm used for sago (Metroxylon sagu), that is what was discussed here - see further details at Sago - MPF 14:54, 19 May 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Antarctica refernce inappropriately worded?

The page states that Palms are abundant throughout the tropical regions of every continent except Antarctica. I, for one, have never heard of a tropical region of Antarctica that was not abundant with palm trees. If you know of a tropical region of Antarctica that lacks palm trees, please do provide an example with citation... -- zaphraud

Fixed.Steve Dufour 16:52, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Palmaceae"

The family name "Palmaceae" is illegitimate because both Arecaceae and Palmae are conserved over other names for the family. I have not been able to trace the earliest use of "Palmaceae" so have not been able to determine whether it is truly derived from the genus Palma Miller, was used in error for Palmae, or was the result of trying to force the name "Palmae" to conform to the -aceae convention of most other plant family names. For whatever reason, it is to be rejected in favor of Arecaceae (or Palmae). MrDarwin 03:53, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

I think the "illegitimate" name should be removed from the introduction. It's really a distraction and not that important. Besides it has nothing to do with the trees themselves. The information could be given later on in the article if it is important.Steve Dufour 16:55, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

It's in the introduction because "Palmaceae" is in common use, and redirects to "Arecaceae". Anyone looking for an article on "Palmaceae", and finding themselves on "Arecaceae", may be confused if "Palmaceae" is not listed as a synonym early in the article. -- Donald Albury(Talk) 19:20, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
o.k. that's a good reason. I still think a person reading the article to learn about the trees will be distracted by having to wonder why a scientific name is "illegitimate".Steve Dufour 05:29, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
I went ahead and substituted 'botanically (in)correct' for '(il)legitimate' to make it clearer for readers who are not familiar with the usage in taxonomy. -- Donald Albury(Talk) 15:27, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
I would suggest a different wording because "botanically correct" and "botanically incorrect" don't really mean anything and just confuse the issue. If you're going to talk about botanical nomenclature, it's usually best to use the language of botanical nomenclature. What on earth does "botanically correct" mean? You could argue that the family name Palmaceae is botanically correct if it's based on the genus Palma. But it's the wrong name to use for a specific reason under the Code. MrDarwin 16:51, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
If you feel you can improve the wording, please do so. My preference would be to take the whole business out and just list 'Palmaceae' as another synonym. The business about what is 'legitimate' or 'not legitimate' is confusing to readers who are not familiar with taxonomic terminology. 'Palmaceae' is in common use, so we should acknowledge it. We are writing for non-specialists (like me) here, so let's keep it simple and on topic. -- Donald Albury(Talk) 18:07, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cultivation before Civilization

Hey that sounds kind of cool!  :-) While reading this article it seemed wrong to me that it seemed to say that the cultivation of the date palm took place after the start of civilization and history. Mostly it is the other way around. For instance the Incas first cultivated the potato, then their civilization arose, then they started to write history. I found an article that puts the first cultivation of the date palm 1000 years earlier than is said here. I am going to add the information to the cultivation section but will not change the introduction to the article now. Wishing everyone a palmy day.Steve Dufour 17:50, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

Good call, go ahead! - MPF 12:47, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
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