21 Fantastic Botanical Palm Tree Illustrations To Print

The current trend for tropical prints in interiors really appeals to me. That’s why I have curated this cool collection of tropical palm tree illustrations.

I don’t know if my love of tropical plant prints because I was actually born and grew up in the tropics themselves. Or it’s because of the natural vibe a tropical decor theme that I relate too.

These vintage palm tree pictures will look amazing printed and framed in my home and will complement all my hanging tropical plants.

Unfortunately, I now live in a more temperate climate so there are no palm trees growing in my garden. You’re more likely to find woodland-type trees than tropical trees. There are some palm tree illustrations on the tree posters of Larousse.

The Palm Tree

The scientific family name for palm trees is Arecaceae. There are over 2500 species of palm trees and they are found only in tropical and subtropical climates. However, they inhabit a diverse range of habitats from rainforests to deserts.

What distinguishes palm trees are there very large compound evergreen leaves. These are called fronds and are arranged at the top of an unbranched stem.

The arrangement of leaves on palm trees can produce some amazing geometrical mandala-like patterns when viewed from the top. Many of these are highlighted in the seminal book on palm tree “Historia naturalis palmarum” by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. First published in 1823.

Colombia may have the highest number of palm species in one country. Including the Quindio wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense) which is the tallest palm tree species and can grow 160 to 200 feet high.

For many of us, palm trees symbolize the tropics and vacations, but there are also one of the world’s most important and extensively cultivated plants.

They have been important for centuries and produce fruits such as coconuts dates, acai berry, jubaea, peach palm fruit, and betel nut. The palm trees are also important for other products such as their oils, palm and coconut, palm sugar, ivory nuts, carnauba wax, rattan cane, raffia, and palm wood.

So even though these botanical palm tree prints will look great on your wall they also symbolize very important trees for the world economy.

The Tropical Palm Tree Illustrations

To download the botanical palm tree picture you want just click on the title above that particular print. The palm tree illustration will then open in a new tab on your browser.

You can then save the palm tree art on to your hard drive or print it out straight away.

1.Attalea – Cocos – Sabal species

A wonderful illustration of three different palm tree species from South America and the Carabiean.

These illustrations are from “Historia naturalis palmarum” (the Natural History of Palms) by the German botanist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius published in 1823.

Palm tree illustration by Carl Philipp von Martius

2. Cocos capitata – Jelly Palm

A palm tree from Brazil. The fruits of the palm harvested from the wild between to make juices, liquor, marmalades and ice-cream. The fruit has orange, skin and the pulp is bright orange, highly aromatic, somewhat oily, and quite fibrous.

Another print from Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius’s book. I love the detailed background of this palm tree picture. It is more a work of art than an illustration with the cowboys and rheas in the picture too.

3. Livistona humilis – Sand Palm

The sand palm tree is only found in the Northern Territories of Australia. It is an important tree for the Aboriginal people.

They eat the fruits, the heart (central growing tip) which can be eaten, either raw or roasted. The core of the stem is pounded and made into a drink which is used to treat coughs, colds, chest infections, diarrhea, and tuberculosis. Backache is treated with the crushed stem core.

4. 1810 Palm Tree Art

I don’t know anything more about this wonderful palm tree illustration other then what is written on the print.

5. Caryota cumingii – Palm

This palm is also known as the Philippine fishtail palm tree. One because it is native to the Philippines and two because the leaves are shaped like fishtails.

This palm tree illustration is from an 1869 edition of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine and painted by Walter Hood Fitch.

6. Areca Nut Palm

In English, this palm is called the betel tree because its fruit, the areca nut, is often chewed along with the betel leaf.

You might recognize the palm, as it is a popular indoor tropical plant especially in hotels and shopping malls.

This botanical illustration of this tropical plant is from the Dutch book “Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen” published in 1890.

The Key for this Betal palm illustration is translated as follows:

Flower bulb with male flowers above, female flowers below, little reduced (the color must be yellowish-green);
Male flowers, enlarged
Stamens, natural Size
The stunted, sterile ovary
Female flowers removed from the cover papers showing the calyx, etc.
Ovaries with stunted stamens, etc.
Outer perigone leaf, enlarged.
Inner perigon sheet.
Longitudinal section through the single-sided ovary
A ripe fruit, natural size.
The same in the longitudinal section (the tip must be shown fibrous).
The same in cross-section
Same, etc.

7. Aiphanes horrida

This is a South American palm the botanical illustration of this tropical plant is from the book “Florae Columbiae” published in 1866 by Duemmler, Ferdinand.etal.

8. Acanthophoenix crinita – Palm Tree Art Print

This vintage palm tree painting is like a work of tropical art. It is from the beautiful book “Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe” (Flora of greenhouses and gardens of Europe) by Louis van Houtte in 1866.

9. Verschaffeltia splendida

This flowering palm tree is only found in the Seychelles. The palm tree illustration is also from the book “Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe“.

10. Livistona Australis – Palm Tree Illustrations

This palm tree is more commonly known as the cabbage-tree palm and is native to Australia.

An important palm for the indigenous Aboriginal population. New growth of the tree could be cooked or eaten raw and the heart of the trunk could be cooked as a medicine to ease a sore throat.

Leaves of the cabbage-tree palm were used for shelter and fibers for string, rope and fishing lines

The palm tree illustration is also from the book “Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe“.

11. Ceroxylon alpinum

A Colombian palm tree. From the 1874 ” L’Illustration horticole” by Charles Antoine Lemaire,

12. European Fan Palm Botanical Illustration

This is one of only two palm species native to continental Europe. Hence it is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates.

An 1801 print from the collection at the New York Public Library.

European Fan Palm Botanical Illustration

13. Palm Tree Illustrations: Dictyosperma album

This palm tree is more commonly known as a princess or hurricane palm. The latter name owing to its ability to withstand strong winds by easily shedding leaves. The palm is found on islands in the Indian Ocean.

The palm tree illustration is also from the book “Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe“.

14. Oil Palm Tree Illustrations

With the oil palm, oil is extracted from both the pulp of the fruit (palm oil, an edible oil) and the kernel (palm kernel oil, used in foods and for soap manufacture). For every 100 kg of fruit bunches, typically 22 kg of palm oil and 1.6 kg of palm kernel oil can be extracted.

Palm oil is an important economic crop but it has become increasingly more controversial. Oil palm production has been documented as a cause of substantial and often irreversible damage to the natural environment.Its impacts include deforestation, habitat loss of critically endangered species, and a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions

This botanical illustration of this tropical plant is from the Dutch book “Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen” published in 1890.

15. Hyophorbe amaricaulis

Also known as the “Loneliest Palm“. It is found exclusively on the island of Mauritius, and only a single surviving specimen has been documented in the Curepipe Botanic Gardens in Curepipe.

The palm tree illustration is also from the book “Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe“.

16. Bourbon Palm Tree Illustration

Also known as the “Chinese fan palm“. The palm is cultivated as an ornamental tree in gardens and conservatories.

This palm tree print was from the 1897 book ” Favourite flowers of garden and greenhouse” by Edward Step.

17. Palm Tree Illustrations: Sea Coconut

These palm trees are also known as the double coconut or the Coco de Mer. This species of the rare palm tree is only found on the islands of Seychelles.

The Coco de Mer seeds have been highly prized over the centuries; their rarity caused great interest and high prices in royal courts, and the tough outer seed coat has been used to make bowls such as for Sufi/Dervish beggar-alms kashkul bowls and other instruments.

This palm tree painting is from an 1827 edition of Curtis’s botanical magazine.

18. Phoenicophorium borsigianum – Palm Tree Painting

Another palm tree endemic to the Seychelles more commonly known as the thief palm. A palm growing in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1857 was stolen, giving rise to the common name of ‘thief palm.

The palm tree illustration is also from the book “Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe“.

19. The Date Palm

Dates are an important crop and have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in Arabia from the 6th millennium BCE.

The total annual world production of dates amounts to 8.5 million metric tons, countries of the Middle East and North Africa being the largest producers.

An 1801 print from the collection at the New York Public Library.