There is increasing interest in industry, academia, and the health sciences in palms. Palms are among the best known and most extensively cultivated plant families. They have been important to humans throughout much of history. Many common products and foods are derived from palms, such as edible oils, coconut products, fruit, vinegar, rattan, a
Umberto Quattrocchi earned his first degree in political science from the University of Palermo. He followed this achievement with an M.D., specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1992, he retired from the practice of medicine to pursue his studies in botany across the world and to serve as a professor of botany at the University of Palermo. Highly prolific, Quattrocchi has numerous political and botanical books and articles to his credit, including those on plants and gardening that have been published in Hortus and The Garden. In 1997, he received the prestigious Hanbury Botanical Garden Award promoted by the Premio Grinzane Cavour for his book Piante Rustiche Tropicali. He received a second Hanbury Award for the bestselling CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Quattrocchi is a member of the International Dendrology Society, the Royal Horticultural Society, and the Botanical Society of America. He is an elected Fellow of the world-renowned Linnean Society.