Arecales

(botany) An order of flowering plants in the subclass Arecidae composed of the palms.

An order of flowering plants, division Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae), of the subclass Arecidae in the class Liliopsida (monocotyledons). The name of the subclass is derived from the ordinal name. The order consists of the single family Arecaceae (Palmae), the palms, with more than 200 genera and nearly 3000 species, largely confined to tropical and subtropical regions. The order Arecales has also been called Palmales or Principes. Most palms are trees with an unbranched trunk and a terminal crown of large leaves. The plicate structure of all palm leaves relates to a complex ontogeny shared only by some of the Cyclanthaceae (Cyclanthales), in which new tissue continues to develop along the folds after the flanking tissues have matured. See also Arecidae; Carnauba wax; Coconut; Cyclanthales; Date; Liliopsida; Magnoliophyta; Plant kingdom; Vegetable ivory.