Cabbage palm

This is not the most flattering photo of the state tree of Florida, Sabal palmetto, but it shows how tough a plant it is. This individual has survived numerous fires including the recent one, as evidenced by the narrow “waist” near the ground. Palms are not constructed like normal trees that have their live tissues just under the bark; the xylem and phloem of palms is found in small bundles scattered throughout the trunk and therefore the plant can survive even if much of the trunk diameter is burned away.