Shingle Palm, Horizontal

Related to Shingle Palm, Vertical, and begins life similarly, see that entry for more information; differences are enumerated below.   Seeds are effectively naked, with only a maple- or ash- type vane, rather than any fleshy fruit. The seeds are also commonly retained, attached to the parent body, although some do get dispersed with significant wind, to begin the cycle elsewhere.   Rather than having a series of equally-sized leaves throughout their growth cycle and producing a cylindrical body, these begin with small leaves and gradually increase in size, which produces a conical body, which eventually becomes too topheavy and tips over.   When it does, several of the seeds that are near or in contact with the ground germinate. They continue to draw nutrients through the parent stem and root system, which provides a head start, and allows the secondary shoot to emerge thicker. Which then gives it enough support to grow taller before it topples, and allows it to reach farther when it does.   Other seeds that end up higher on the toppled trunk either fail to germinate, or topple quickly, because of a lack of solid support.   This can ultimately lead to a large area of shrubbery all derived from a single ancestral plant, and all connected to the same original root system.   About a year after a stem falls, its stem decomposes to the point that its shingles fall loose, which provide habitat for small animals, and are collected by local humans for use as shingles, hence the name.