Ok, what is the point of Palm trees?
The don’t provide shade, you really can’t build with the wood from what I’ve seen and heard, and at least here in CA they don’t even have coconuts on them.
So what is the point?
I’m convinced that they are the most useless plants on the planet. I might be willing to change my mind, if one of you can supply a good reason for them.
Palm trees remind you that you’re not in central Illinois. 
Some types do produce coconuts. Also don’t dates come from some palms? If nothing else, climb up there and get some fronds to cover your palapa.
With all respect I don’t recall any Palm Trees running around taking a poll asking what their point should be. To humans or anything else.
Well, they should have. You would think that by now other species would learn that they really should get our approval to continue existing.
Some species!
Where would all the little rats live?
It’s well documented that rats-a-plenty live in (and occasionally fall out of) palm trees in LA. Better them up there than down here.
S
I used to own some palm trees and they are a pain in the neck. Very shallow roots if the ground is hard or the topsoil thin, so if they dry out they fall and smash your roof. Fortunately they are a lot lighter than other trees their size.
I had the pointless Washingtonian Palm variety, which are like the the King Palm and grow very tall and are expensive to have trimmed. If you don’t trim them, the dead pack of fronds may fall in one mass in a high wind and ruin your car roof. Mine got hit twice.
The palms at Stanford are the shorter and lusher Queen Palms, which are very nice looking and never gangly, and provide the same shade as a Sugar Maple, but all year.
No coconuts in California, that’s Florida palms, which dangle out over the water. California palms are more like date palms, but the fruit often don’t drop until they are hard as acorns.
Quite a few species produce tasty or otherwise usable fruit (such as the betel nut). The wood from some species, including coconut palms, can be used in construction quite nicely, not to mention smaller woodworking uses. The sap is useful. They grow where alot of other trees wouldn’t, and help fix shorelines. They can also grow quite close together, and provide pretty good shade.
This isn’t yet touching on developing-nation type uses, like roofing materials, clean drinking fluids, palm-wine and vinegar, some medicines…
My garden has dozens of palm trees it seems. Hate the bastards. They drop fronds on my head (no rats as yet but I am damned sure there are fruit bats plotting in there).
I particularly hate the ones which don’t drop fronds but just hang onto them for years and look tatty
when they’re in the x-formation, they’re alerting you that a good burger is 3 dollars away 
Products of various species of palm trees: Coconuts (coconut oil, coconut milk, shredded coconut, copra, etc.), palm nuts (palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc.), dates, palm sugar, palm wine (must be consumed when fresh), hearts of palm (for salad), wood for construction, fronds for crafts projects, fronds to pass out on Palm Sunday, etc.
Palms also mark the sites of oases in deserts and provide a source of water for travellers (Traveller’s Palm).
Palms can be attractive, especially Royal and Traveller’s Palms.
As for the old, neglected, unsightly palms you see all over older neighborhoods in Southern California, I agree, what’s the point?
The native Hawaiians made tools, cordage, and cloth with the coconuts, but what they did with the trees themselves, I don’t know. Could they have been useful as landmarks, for canoeists? A tall palm tree could have been used as an observation tower of sorts. Heck, I dunno. I’m just guessing.
Maybe they just stretched their hammocks across them.
The point is to survive and reproduce.
My last name means palm tree in Spanish! All Ramos’ are useful!!!
F.Y.I
I was just kidding…I didn’t find it offesive at all. I am just very very bored!
Travellers Palm (Ravenala Madagascariensis) is not a palm at all. It is related to the Strelitzias or the “Birds of Paradise”. Much closer to bananas and gingers than palms.
Anyway, The ratty old palms you see in So Cal are not well taken care of. They probably dont get the water they need (The Washingtonias usually grow near sources of underground water). Here near Monterey, if not watered the leaves are small and ugly. But, the ones that are taken care of are attractive. The California Rare Fruit Growers webpage talks about several edible palm species and included in that list are the Washingtonia filiferas (California Fan Palms). The fruits supposedly taste like dates, or butterscotch, and the seeds were used by Indian tribes to make porridge or bread.
Palms are some of the most useful plants, many can be used for thatching (Nypa), and many are used for food or sap (the coconut is one of the most important pan-tropical plants)
Here’s a list of palms and what they are used for:
Arenga pinnata (black sugar palm) Sugar, wine, and arrack, a distilled liquor, are processed from the sap. Sago, a starch, is made from the pith. The leaves yield a moisture-resistant fibre. The fruits are also eaten.
Attalea cohune (cohune palm), Oil from the seeds is used in soap. A. funifera of the Amazon region of South America yields a water-resistant fiber.
Borassus flabellifer (palmyra palm). Fiber from various parts of the plant are made into brooms, hats, and mats. The fruits and seeds are edible.
Cocos nucifera (coconut palm) The fiber of the nut husk is called coir (q.v.). The liquid in the core of the nut is a tasty beverage, and the white meat of the nut is eaten raw. The meat is shredded and dried to make copra, from which coconut oil may be extracted. The meat is also grated, mixed with water, and pressed to obtain coconut milk. Palm wine, arrack, and vinegar are made from sap of the flower stalk. Baskets and mats are made from the leaves. The trunk yields a useful timber.
Copernicia prunifera (carnauba wax palm),Carnauba wax–used in polishes, varnishes, and candles–is obtained from the leaves.
Elaeis guineensis (African oil palm). Palm oil is obtained from the fruit coat and kernel oil from the seed.
Phoenix dactylifera (date palm), Grown for fruits. It is native to the Middle East.One tree may bear as much as 250 kg (550 pounds) of dates annually for 100 years or more.
Roystonea regia (Cuban royal palm). It is often grown as an ornamental.
Sabal palmetto (cabbage palmetto) The water-resistant trunk is used as wharf pilings. The buds are edible, mats and baskets are sometimes made from the leaves, and stiff brushes are made from the stems
So, do palms seem like such useless plants anymore?
Meanwhile here in Ontario* it’s getting colder, winter is coming, and the best palms I have to look forward to are the fake ones at the mall. SIGH
*Ontario, Canada.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Doobieous *
**
Ok, you got me… you make them seem quite valuable.
However, I’m used to dealing with the ratty dusty nasty old Cali ones, so I will just sneer and move on.
Palm Trees serve a good purpose, like all things.
Just remember - if it wasn’t for palms, NRA members would never experience sex…