Palm Tree Guide

Finding a palm tree guide is pretty easy. The thing is, will it meet your needs? When you're looking for a guide to palm trees, what is it you need help with? There are multiple ways a palm guide could help you out.

Here we're rating A Few Guides to Palm Trees. Because we've used quite a number of them! We figure we can give you our critique - our reviews to help you decide on Palm Tree Books that give you what you want and/or need.

The first we'll tell you about is one we use when we travel throughout the southeastern United States. That's next...

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Southeastern U.S. Palm Tree Guide

Here's a simple palm tree guide you may want to use. It covers palms found in the Southeastern part of the United States.

We have this one, and use it from time to time. Especially when we travel to visit our cousin in North Carolina, we always take it along!

Because when you know where to look, you can Find Palm Trees in North Carolina!

When we leave North Carolina, we normally take the Southern route back to Arizona. Since we'd taken a more northerly course to get to North Carolina. It's because we like to cover various areas Where Palm Trees Grow. We love taking Palm Tree Viewing Road Trips!

We find this particular little Palm Tree Guide very handy while traveling the southeastern coast of the United States.

Man looking over a guide to southeastern palm trees

Bill is Checking Into the Palms We're Likely to See on Our Next Trip to North Carolina

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To give you an idea of how it solves palm tree identification. We think overall it does a very good job for figuring out the most common palms you'll find in these states. To recognize them.

Below see our review of Common Palms of the Southeast, nest. To size up its usefulness as a guide to palm trees in the southeastern United States.

Common Palms of the Southeast

HELPFULNESS

This palm tree guide covers 35 species common in Southeastern states. And is written by the renowned palm expert, Alex W Meerow.
It has good photos of each palm species covered. They're all by the nature artist, Robert O'Brien. Well-known throughout the United States for his botanical illustrations.

Plus there are image close-ups of each frond. That way you can see the true appearance of each palm's leaf.

It has all those we suggest as would do well growing as North Carolina Palm Trees, which some people don't realize can happen!

It has those palms you'd likely find while taking a trip to North Carolina

There's a bit of general palm info, plus some little-known Palm Trivia.
It's conveniently inside a protective waterproof covering, sealed on all edges.
It folds up handily, in a multi-page brochure type of format.

Making it handy to easily carry with you

And really - You can't beat the price! See the Guide's Cost!
If this is essential/important for you, it's USA made.

DRAWBACKS

It doesn't show North Carolina on the given Hardiness Zone Map.

Much of NC is Zone 7b, some is 7a. And there are other microclimate zones.
So you must Check For The Growing Zone for your local area yourself.

It also doesn't show Virginia, especially coastal areas, on the given Hardiness Zone Map.

Since that state could be considered Southeastern. It traditionally & historically was known as a southern state.
An overwhelming portion of the state is in USDA Planting Zone 7: both a & b. Coastal areas are mostly Zone 8a.

It has many more palms than can grow or likely been seen in North Carolina & Virginia. Though perhaps maybe you'd find them in a Botanical Garden, etc.
So related to those points above, it isn't strictly focused for the more northern of the southeastern states.

Other Palm Tree Books - With Our Three Best

FROM OUR GUIDE TO PALM TREES PURCHASES

We have several other Guides to Palm Trees we regularly use. Because we find them the best. We've purchased some that are very to not very good.

Several reference books about palms on a table

On a Table Alongside Our Computer Desk We Keep Some Good Palm Books for Quick Access

Usually when we look for Palm Tree Related Books, we do this:

Search At Thrift Books, since often we can find a great deal there.
Then of course, we'll go to Amazon to Search.

We all know how they've got about everything you can think of! Plus ways for free and/or fast shipping. Or reading it on your tablet or phone with Kindle.

There are other places to go, of course. Sometimes you'll find free books from Google Books.

Drawbacks to some of them are:

Do you want to read online books, rather than a nice hands-on hardcopy? I know I like having a paper book to quickly refer to.
Many of them are old, likely out of date with their information.
Plus the site may have some type of catch to get it free. Will it cost you down the road? Or do you really want another account to log into, if using it just one time.

We'll give you Reviews of our favorites. The Palm Tree Guides we use most often. Including those we like and can recommend, and one that's not among the best.

Guide to Palm Trees - Four Book Reviews

Timber Press Pocket Guide to Palms

By Robert Lee Riffle. Our copy is from 2008. Note: the author passed away in 2006.

We Use This Guide regularly.

Has 200 species & some hybrids. Arranged alphabetically by Palm Species & also gives common names.
Then all essential info in a concise way.

Like how tall/wide. Frond description. Climate zones. Sun, soil & water needs. Useful comments & more.

What's really nice are his category lists. Palm species:

That are fast-growing
Ground cover types
Small palms
Colorful palm trees
Those good for temperate climes

Etc. It's compact for all the info it has. It's Our Go-To Book for finding initial info on an unfamiliar palm. We'd recommend this as 1st choice for a palm tree guide.

Ornamental Palm Horticulture

By Timothy K. Borschat & Alan W. Meerow (well-known palm tree experts). Along with Monica L. Elliott (a Plant Diseases expert).

We have the 2nd edition from 2017. We had the 1st edition from 2000, found it so useful, we got The Updated One.

It guides you in knowing the biology and Anatomy of Palms.
But also helps if you want to Grow a Palm Yourself
Plus Palm Plant Care - including Potted Palms for Indoors.

This book is quite useful to us. The newer edition adds updated science & even more photos. Be aware there is lots of technical info & jargon. They give explanations, but sometimes it requires bouncing around.

It has a wealth of information, including the miscellaneous things that can attack a palm. Anything you can think of about for Ornamental Palm Knowledge! It's excellent if it suits your needs.

An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms

By Robert Lee Riffle & Paul Craft, 2012: 2nd Edition. We have The 1st Edition. from 2003. We see in that newer edition, there are less species, but the same amount of pictures.

This large reference is useful for discovering even more details on familiar palms. But then has many others you have no clue about - until you look it up here!

First it's a summary of each genus (alphabetically), including the number of species. However it doesn't necessarily list all the species.

Typically though, most anything you want to look up will be here. With the usual details, plus loads more you won't find elsewhere.

It does have photos of each, but they're gathered together in a separate section in front. (Some people don't like that - it doesn't bother us!) Easy-peasy to get to the ones you want to see.

For us, we find it very useful. If you're seriously into studying palms, you may also. Palm browsers, those trying to identify palms, & beginning palm enthusiasts may not find it suited for their purposes.

One For Palm Tree Identification

PALMS

By Martin Gibbons.

Subtitled "The new Compact Study Guide and Identifier." From 1993.

Fairly old, which may account for some of our dissatisfaction(?). And you can pick it up used quite cheaply!

The author began a UK business (where he's well-known), that still sells palms. Now run by his son, I believe.

The book's intro says he hopes it will be "not only a useful guide, but a means of adding to the enjoyment on any vacation or business trip to the tropics." That may be the positive point for a purchase.

But he also says it can be useful for growing palms. So the drawbacks:

We've found some errors. But maybe a result from the age of the book?
Many photos for identification aren't too useful for that.

If you have a choice of books, we don't recommend this one. We bought it. Now it sits on our bookshelf. We rarely open it since our first evaluation.

Takeaways for our Palm Tree Guide Reviews

We hope some of these books that we think are good will help you out. They all have some type of guidance for learning about palms. Even good as a guide to palm tree identification.

We've shown you our take on the value you'll have by ordering one of these Guides to Palm Trees.

Happy Palm Trails!

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