Palms as Dye Plants

While shopping recently in Costco, I notice a set of gray bed sheets whose package sported a palm leaf logo underneath which was the extraordinary statement, “dyes made from saw palmetto.” The same company offered olive green sheets with the claim “dyes made from saw palmetto fruits.” Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is a dye plant? […]

Litter-Trapping Palms

One of the cruel ironies of the Tropics is that the soils that support magnificent rainforests are notoriously infertile. If tropical soils are so nutrient-poor, how can they support such diverse, towering forests? The paradox of rich and complex forests growing on infertile land was not resolved until the mid-twentieth century, when ecologists shed light […]

Support the IPS when You Shop Online

Did you know that you can support the International Palm Society every time you shop on Amazon? Through Amazon’s charitable giving program, AmazonSmile, you can select the IPS as your designated charity, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase prices to the IPS. If you shop on Amazon (and don’t we all?), why not […]

The University of Miami Palmetum

In 2014, participants in the IPS Biennial in Miami, Florida, USA, visited some spectacular palm collections in South Florida, but one hidden gem that was not on the Biennial itinerary is the Palmetum on the University of Miami campus. The University of Miami Palmetum was established in 1999, as part of then-President Edward T. Foote […]