Arecales

Arecales, order of flowering plants that contains only one family, Arecaceae (also known as Palmae), which comprises the palms. Nearly 2,400 species in 189 genera are known. The order includes some of the most important plants in terms of economic value.

The members of the Arecales are distinctive in geography and habit; all but a very few species are restricted to the tropics and subtropics, where they make up a prominent part of the vegetation. Characteristically woody, they stand out within the largely herbaceous monocotyledons (monocots). The family is fourth among monocotyledonous families in size, after the Orchidaceae, Poaceae, and Cyperaceae.

Palms have been difficult to study for several reasons. Their large size and extreme hardness deterred early collectors, which led Liberty Hyde Bailey, an eminent American horticulturist during the early 20th century, to call palms the big game of the plant world. Many genera are island endemics. Notwithstanding their importance, they remained poorly known until air travel to remote tropical areas became feasible. Increased botanical exploration of the tropics in the 1980s established the importance of palms, which resulted in measures for studying and conserving them.