Many palms continue this primary
growth (i.e., the growth they first started with) for fifty to sixty
years before they form their trunk. During this time new roots are
always being developed at the base of the stem, in whorls, and these
always above the old roots. This even takes place in old specimens,
especially in those planted in the open ground which have already formed
a trunk, In such cases the cortex layer, where the roots break through,
is sprung off. In conservatories, under the influence of the damp air,
this root formation, on which indeed the further normal growth of the
palm depends, takes place without any special assistance. When the palm
is grown in a sitting room, one must surround the base of the trunk with
moss, which is to be kept damp, in order to favor the development of the
roots. When the base of the palm trunk has almost reached its normal
thickness, then begins the upward development of the trunk, which takes
place more slowly in those species whose leaves grow close together than
in those whose leaves are further apart. In specimens of many species of
Cocos and Syagrus, whose leaves are particularly far apart, the stems
grow so quickly when planted in the open ground that they increase by
five to six feet in height per annum.
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