What Fruit Do Palm Trees Produce & Grow?

Some palm tree varieties produces dates while others grow coconut, acai berries, and betel nuts on them.

Fruit Grows On a Palm Tree
 

Palm trees are known for their iconic appearance and larger than life looks. But there is so much more to this tree. If you are not aware of all the varieties of palm trees, you might think that all of them have fruits just like the most famous date palms. But that’s not true. Not all varieties of palm bear fruits.

 

But you might ask what fruit grows on a palm tree variety that is actually fruit bearing? Well, Palm trees can produce several nutritious and delicious fruits like palm fruit, acai berries, dates, and coconuts.

 

These fruits have been used as medicine and food source in tropical regions. Each fruit has distinct characteristics, including its nutritional content, texture, and taste.

 

This guide will give you a closer insight into what fruit does a palm tree grow? By exploring the diverse range of these fruits, we can acquire a greater appreciation for their role in several cuisines and cultures.

 

Do All Palm Trees Produce Fruits?

Palm Trees Produce Fruits
 

No, not every palm tree produces fruits. Even though several palm species yield fruits, some varieties do not. Additionally, some palm trees that give fruits also do so under specific environmental conditions, such as the presence of a compatible pollinator.

 

Further, it is worth noting that not all palm tree fruits are desirable or edible for human consumption. Some palm fruits are employed as a food source for wildlife or go into oil production.

 

What Type Of Fruit Grows On Palm Trees?

 

Palm trees are known to produce various fruits that are popular across several parts of the world. The most popular fruit by palm trees is the coconut, which is the seed of the coconut palm tree.

 

Other popular palm fruits include dates that grow on different date palm trees. Similarly, acai berries grow on the acai palm tree.

 

Beyond this, some lesser-known palm fruits, such as betel nut, grow on the areca palm tree. It is chewed as a stimulant in some countries in Asia.

 

Further, the peach palm, or the palm fruit, grown on the palm tree, goes into South American cuisine. Overall, palm trees are an excellent food and nutrition source for people and animals in several regions.

 

What Fruit Do Palm Trees Produce – Popularly Known Ones?

Palm trees produce an array of fruits. Here are some of the most popular ones:

 

Coconuts

 

It is a fruit produced by the coconut palm tree and is one of the most popularly known fruits of any palm tree. Coconut is an oval-shaped, large nut with a fibrous, hard shell covered in a layer of hairy, brown fibers.

 

Inside the outer cover is a fleshy, white meat rich in vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Coconut water in the fruit is a nutritious and refreshing beverage. It is rich in electrolytes and consumed as a natural sports drink.

 

Coconut flesh goes in various dishes like desserts, curries, and baked goods. Coconut oil extracted from coconut meat finds immense use in cooking and cosmetic products because of its moisturizing properties.

 

Dates

 

A well cared date palm tree produces this fruit ‘dates’ that is consumed globally. It is a chewy, sweet fruit with wrinkled, brown skin and a caramel-like flavor. Dates are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, fiber, and energy.

 

They go in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine in savory and sweet dishes like desserts, stews, and tagines. Dates are also eaten as a snack or used to sweeten smoothies, baked goods, and other recipes. These long living date palm trees produce fruits that are an are excellent alternative to refined sugar and work as a natural sweetener.

 

Acai Berries

 

Fruit of the Acai palm tree, Acai berries are native to South and Central America, especially the Amazon region. These are small, purple berries rich in fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats. They have a slightly tart, unique flavor, described as a combination of chocolate and berries.

 

Acai berries go in bowls, smoothies, and other healthy recipes as a superfood addition. You can find them in supplement form. These are marketed as antioxidant supplements or weight loss aid. Because of their many health benefits, acai berries have gained immense popularity recently.

 

Palmyra Fruits

Palmyra Fruits
 

If you search the web for what is the fruit that grows on palm trees and is incredibly beneficial, one of the top names that you will see is the Palymra fruit. Also called the taal fruits, the Palmyra fruits come from the Palmyra trees.

 

They are native to Southeast Asia and are widely grown in Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. It is a large, round fruit with a woody, hard shell covered in a fibrous layer. The outer cover has a jelly-like, sweet pulp rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.

 

Palmyra fruits go in Southeast Asian cuisines, especially in desserts. They are paired with coconut milk, sugar, and rice flour to make sweets like cakes and puddings. Their young shoots are also edible and go in salads and soups. People also use its wood in construction, whereas its leaves go into making handicrafts and baskets.

 

Jelly Palm Fruit

Jelly Palm Fruit
 
What fruit do palm trees produce that goes into making jellies and jams? Jelly palm is the answer.

 

In addition, it also adds flavor to desserts, smoothies, and ice creams. Many also employ the Pindo palm as an ornamental plant for its bright, colorful fruit and attractive foliage.

 

Also called the Pindo palm fruit, the Jelly palm fruit comes from the Pindo palm tree. It is a small to mid-sized palm tree native to South America, especially in Argentina and Brazil. Jelly palm is cultivated across other parts of the world for its fruit. It has an oblong-shaped, round fruit with an orange-yellow, thin skin, and large seeds.

 

Its pulp is fibrous and soft and has a tropical, sweet flavor, described as a blend of apricot and pineapple.

 

Oil Palm Fruits

 

These are the fruits of the oil palm trees and are native to Central and West Africa. However, today it is grown in several tropical countries, especially in Southeast Asia, where it is a significant agricultural crop.

 

It has an oval-shaped, reddish-orange fruit that grows in a bundle of approximately 500 fruits. Its flesh is rich in oil and goes into various cosmetic and food products. Palm oil is one of the widely employed vegetable oils. It is present in products like margarine, processed foods, and soap.

 

What Grows Off Of Palm Trees – Less Commonly Known!

Beyond some well-known fruits, a few less prevalently known fruit varieties grow off palm trees. Let us discuss them below:

 

Jubaea Chilensis Fruits

Jubaea Chilensis Fruits

 

Also called the Chilean wine palm, the Jubaea chilensis fruit is called the coquito. It is an oval-shaped, large fruit that weighs up to four pounds and has a fibrous, hard shell. Its flesh is yellow to orange, and the texture resembles the coconut.

 

Jubea has a nutty, sweet flavor and is traditionally employed to make a popular alcoholic beverage in Chile, coquito. People consume it in winter to keep themselves warm. Coquito seeds are edible, and you can eat them like nuts. But the fruit is rare and not popular outside its native range.

 

Nipa Palm Fruits

Nipa Palm Fruits

 

It is a palm tree that grows in the mangrove swamps in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Nipa palm has an oval-shaped fruit that grows in bundles on the tree. Its fruit is green when unripe but turns reddish-brown or orange when ripe.

 

The fruit has a soft and fibrous flesh with a sour taste. People do not consume it raw because of its sourness. However, it goes into making vinegar and adding color and flavor to drinks and food.

 

Nipa palm also finds use for its leaves, woven into thatch roofing and other traditional handicrafts. Its trunk is used in construction and can help make household items and furniture.

 

Betel Nut Fruits

Betel Nut Fruits

 

Want to know what fruit grows in palm trees that is not a fruit? It is the Betel nut. Also known as the Areca nut, the Betel nut is not a fruit but an Areca Palm seed. It is a solid, tiny seed chewed with other ingredients like tobacco, betel leaf, and slaked lime to produce a mild stimulant effect.

 

Betel nut finds use in many parts of the Pacific Islands and Asia and is consumed as part of cultural and social traditions.

 

Canary Island Date Palm Fruits

 

Also known as Phoenix canariensis, the Canary Island Date Palm produces a fruit called date. It is an oval-shaped fruit that ranges from yellow to reddish-brown when ripe.

 

You might know that all date palm trees are palm trees but not all palm trees are date trees. Typically, these dates are not consumed and are less flavorful and sweet than dates from other date palm species like Mejdool or Deglet Noor dates.

 

But this still goes into traditional cuisines and making syrups and jams. People also cultivate it for its attractive appearance with feathery, large fronds and distinctive trunk texture. In arid and warm regions, it is grown as a landscaping plant.

 

Saw Palmetto Fruit

Saw Palmetto Fruit
 
It is a palm tree native to the Southeastern United States. Saw palmetto produces a blackish-purple, tiny fruit almost the size of a cherry. Its fruit is employed to make supplements and is believed to have health benefits for men, especially for their reproductive health.

 

People use the Saw palmetto supplements as a natural remedy for benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms like difficulty urinating and frequent urination. Some studies suggest that saw palmetto has anti-androgenic and anti-inflammatory benefits.

 

Beyond its medicinal uses, the fruit also goes into traditional cuisines, jellies, jams, and other sweet treats.

 

Borassus Flabellifer Fruits

Borassus Flabellifer Fruits
 
Also known as toddy palm, the Borassus Flabellifer Fruits are woody, round, and large with a hard outer shell that veils a single seed and a fibrous pulp. Its pulp is edible and has a sweet taste when ripe.

 

The fruit goes into Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine. You can cook or eat it raw. The fruit goes into making various beverages like wine and juice, sweets, and desserts. Beyond its fruit, this palm is also valued for its sap, harvested to make toddy, a popular alcoholic beverage.

 

You can also boil the sap to make jaggery or palm sugar, a natural sweetener in several Asian dishes. Its leaves help make weaving baskets, thatch roofing, paper, and mats. The trunk finds use in carving and construction.

 

Is The Fruit From Palm Trees Edible?

We have studied what fruit grows on a palm tree and can conclude that most palm tree fruits are edible, such as acai berries, dates, and coconut, but not all palm fruits are palatable or safe for human consumption. Some can have a bitter taste, while a few are toxic. Further, some even demand a special preparation (cooking or soaking) before consumption.

 

Is Palm Fruit Alcoholic?

You can employ some palm fruits to make alcoholic beverages. For instance, the Palmyra palm tree’s sap can be fermented to make toddy, a traditional alcoholic beverage in Southeast and South Asia.

 

Beyond this, some palm fruits can be employed to make other kinds of alcoholic beverages like liquor or wine. For instance, toddy palm or Borassus flabellifer helps make a liquor known as arrack in some parts of South Asia.

 

Palm Fruit Benefits

Palm Fruit Benefits

 

Some of the potential health benefits of palm fruits are:

 

  1. Depending on the variety, they are rich in nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. For instance, dates are a rich source of antioxidants, potassium, and fiber, whereas acai berries are rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber.
  2. Studies suggest that palm fruit, especially red palm oil has heart-protective benefits. It is because of the antioxidants and healthy fats in them that reduce cholesterol levels and inflammation.
  3. Acai palm fruit is fiber-dense and supports digestive health by promoting regular bowel movements and feeding the gut bacteria.
  4. The antioxidants in red palm oil guard the skin cells and reduce signs of aging.

 

Identifying Palm Fruit

Ques 1. What is the orange fruit that grows on palm trees?

Ans.  Canary Island Date Palm and Oil Palm have reddish-orange fruits.

 

Ques 2. What green fruit grows on palm trees?

Ans.Some of the palms with green fruit are:

 

  1. Acai palm (small, green, round fruit)
  2. Oil palm (is green when unripe but becomes reddish-orange when ripe)
  3. Coconut palm (green when unripe, but turns brown as it matures.
  4. Palmyra palm (large, green fruit)
  5. Betel nut palm (small, oval-shaped, green fruit)

 

Ques 3. What two fruits grow on palm trees most commonly?

Ans. Dates and Coconuts are two fruits that grow on palm trees.