- Scientists in 2008 reported discovering this new type of palm that grows in a remote area of Madagascar. With the Latin word for "spectacular" as its species name, the tree puts on a show. A large shoot spikes from the top of the palm and spreads into something that looks like a Christmas tree, according to a January 2008 Associated Press article. Then, dripping with nectar, small white flowers draw birds and insects. This effort takes so much of the palm's resources that it soon dies. Madagascar residents who live near where the tree was discovered knew about it for a while, but they hadn't seen it blossom until 2007. Fewer than 100 of the trees grow on the African island, according to Kew Gardens.
- The kosi palm, which can live 20 to 40 years, flowers once before dying, according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute. What causes the flowers to bloom isn't known; seasons don't seem to have an effect. Covered in pinecone-like scales, the fruits stay on the tree -- possibly for years -- before the wind blows them down. Kosi palms are native to South Africa.
- Indigenous to Southeast Asia, sugar palms also die after blossoming, according to Palm Beach State College. The palms grow 20-foot fronds and pop out purple-hued flowers. The trees blossom for roughly two years, according to Ecocrop. During this time, the plant transforms its sap into sugar. It is cultivated in southern Florida.
- Once fishtail palms reach heights of about 20 feet, they begin to blossom from the top of the trunk down, according to Flowers of India. The tree perishes when the flower closest to the ground blossoms. With leaves that look like fish fins, species of these trees are found in India, Sri Lanka and India. These palms grow to about 30 feet and have gray trunks.
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