Sort for Caryota ID in 4 Steps

Spot clumpers vs. loners fast. This palm Genus is unique, but the problem is which species?

Hey There,

Species ID isn’t magic, unfortunately! It’s going through simple checklists that you can learn.

We’ve already seen how Juvenile Leaves across species can fool us. Plus online photos aren’t always accurate with the noted species.

But here’s another, an interesting one to investigate, because it’s a one-of-a-kind. So maybe it will be easy to identify various species for this genus? Or at least know it’s a Caryota!

The Caryota is a palm genus with the overall nickname: Fishtail Palms.

For sorting the Caryota genus, today we’ll cover:

• The one leaf clue that says “This is a Caryota.”

• The trunk test that splits two common species in seconds.

• The frond details that add more sorting out.

Quick Heads-Up: Caryota fruit can irritate skin, so look, don’t touch. Tiny crystals (raphides) can irritate skin & eyes. Teach your eyes (not your fingers!) to help with identification - use photos or binoculars for close looks.

If you’re learning palm identification, you’ll want to go deeper by telling Caryota species apart from other genera species. And begin to decipher some species. Here are some resources to dig into:

Resource List:

1. About Caryota from Flora of the Southeastern United States, from the University of North Carolina.

2. Palmpedia: Caryota Species List. Click each for more details.

4 Steps To Tell Caryotas With Confidence

In order to begin to identify a Caryota, you’ll need a handful of simple checks. Here’s how we’ll do it, step by step.

STEP 1:

Easily confirm the Caryota genus by looking for telltale “fishtail” leaves.

• All Caryotas have bipinnate leaves that look like lots of little “fishtails” along each frond.

  • What is a bipinnate frond?

  • The "bi" means twice. So part of the bipinnate leaf stem (primary rachis extending from the petiole) has leaf stems (secondary rachis) which divide again, with leaflets.

    • Picture a palm frond that has a main stem growing from the trunk.

    • Then that main stem has many smaller stems all along it.

    • Then those smaller stems have lots of tiny leaflets attached to them.

• If the leaflets have jagged, notched tips (triangular, wedge-shaped, like a fish tail - see the lowest pointing arrow above), you’re seeing a Caryota. This first step avoids comparing the wrong palm genera.

Step 2:

Caryota palms come in two varieties: clumping with multiple thin trunks (clustering, uncommon) vs. one trunk that’s thicker (solitary). Stand back and count: “many” vs. “one” separates two common species fast.

Do you see a clump of many stems together, each relatively slim? You should think…

• Caryota mitis, fairly common. Nicknamed Clustering Fishtail Palm (how did they ever come up with that one! ☺️).

Note the Multiple Trunks on C. mitis - Now Here’s a Palm That Gives You Shade!

• Caryota monostachya, unlike many Caryota, it’s small total height (10ft/3m) can add to the ID. Commonly called Dwarf Fishtail Palm. Not common outside botanical gardens.

Do you see one single trunk? Most commonplace. Multiple Caryota palms are solitary. You should think…

• Caryota urens, it’s solitary, its trunk about 1ft/30cm thick. And up to 20ft/18m tall. Several nicknames names: Jaggery Palm, Toddy Palm, Fishtail Wine Palm & Solitary Fishtail Palm.

  • Can you tell it’s one of the Palms Used in Making Wine?

C. urens painting with line drawings for some part details.

• Caryota gigas, the Giant Fishtail Palm is exactly that. It grows to 70ft/21m tall. Plus its massive crown gets 35ft/10.5m wide.

Step 3:

Read the solitary trunk. Since nearly all Caryota have one trunk, you can separate their identities using trunk details. Note the trunk’s color, the presence of ridges or rings (and how closely set?).

• Identification is almost always in the details for any species!

Step 4:

Sense the scale: using a leaf size hint.

• For instance, C. urens fronds are typically larger, longer (about 12ft/4m on mature plants) and narrow.

• While C. mitis fronds are typically shorter (8ft/2.4m), yet wide (6ft/1.8m).

Here's what you’ve learned today:

• The “fishtail” leaflet shape confirms it’s a Caryota.

• Clumping vs. solitary trunks splits C. mitis from C. urens quickly.

• The essential ID sorting trick: It’s all in the details!

Action Steps:

Practice matters: apply this on your next walk - whether in your area or through a Botanical Garden.

Look for the leaf shape that’s a giveaway! Then sort clumps vs. single trunks (remember looks & height check). Next check frond length and width. Finally, be sure the details are looked at carefully - using binoculars or a camera.

• Don’t forget these same analysis steps work with many genera.

Next time you spot a Fishtail Palm, take two photos (whole plant and a frond close-up), label it “clump or single,” and compare using the resources above.

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P.S. You’ll see, instead of this Ezine’s site sponsor of Mission: Palm Trees at the head, we’re now showing our Limited Liability Company called “Picture Rocks Networking.” That’s because we now have a second Substack, unrelated to palm trees! Any questions? Just reply and ask, or use our Contact Page.

COMING UP SOON: How analyzing genera is another method to break down your initial palm ID.