Editorial & Sourcing Policy
PalmsHub is an independent, free encyclopedia covering the world's ~1,776 palm species. This page explains where our information comes from, how we check it, and what we do when we are not sure — so you can judge how much to trust any page.
Last updated: June 2026.
Our core principle: cite or omit
We do not publish invented facts, fabricated sources, or made-up figures. When a claim can be traced to a reliable source, we state it and cite that source. When it cannot — or when reputable sources disagree — we either say so plainly or leave it out. A shorter, honest page is always preferred over a longer, confident-sounding one that we cannot back up.
Where our data comes from
- Distribution & occurrence maps are drawn live from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), using each species' taxonomic key.
- Species monographs — for our curated species, the text is written by hand and checked against recognised botanical authorities: Plants of the World Online (Kew), the IUCN Red List, Wikipedia, and botanical gardens and university extensions such as Missouri Botanical Garden, the RHS, and UF/IFAS. Every one of these sources is listed at the bottom of the species page under Sources & Conservation.
- Baseline entries for species we have not yet curated are compiled from open taxonomic and biodiversity data. These are more limited, and we are progressively replacing them with fully-sourced monographs.
Conservation status
Where we show an IUCN Red List status, we have confirmed the exact assessed category and link to the matching Red List assessment. Where a species is not clearly assessed, or the record is ambiguous, we leave the conservation status off rather than guess.
Care & hardiness information
Cultivation and cold-hardiness figures are horticultural guidance, not guarantees — local conditions vary. Where hardiness numbers come from horticultural rather than primary botanical sources, we flag them as approximate. Always cross-check for your own climate.
Corrections
We would rather be corrected than be wrong. If you spot an error on any page, please tell us via the contact page and we will review it against the sources and fix it.
Independence
PalmsHub is an independent project, free to use. It is not affiliated with the organisations we cite; we link to them because they are the authorities on palms, not because they endorse us.