Palms are one of the multi-use monocots confined to tropical regions of the world. They form, in some way or other, a vital component in every day lives of people especially in Asia and Africa. The aesthetic value of palms is no less important than their traditional and commercial values, and hence they are cultivated widely as ornamentals. In addition to indigenous palms mostly confined to peninsular India, north-eastern India and Andaman & Nicobar islands, several exotic palms have been introduced from time to time since the beginning of the eighth century for various purposes. Some of the introduced palms such as coconut, arecanut, etc, have since naturalized and cultivated extensively. In Kerala, due to shrinking habitat consequent to over exploitation of natural forests, especially palm resources, valuable palm germplasm has been depleting rapidly and many of them have even become endangered because of their constant utilization without ant conservation efforts for their sustainability. This monograph dealing with indigenous as well as exotic palms, of commercial and ornamental value is a timely effort facilitating their easy identification, which will be an important step towards their conservation. It is hoped that this landmark publication on palms will not only stimulate further research but will be equally useful to students, researcher and foresters and others interested in palm taxonomy.
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