Montgomery Botanical Center contributed palm foliage and fruits to The U.S. National Arboretum for use in their South African Plants Used in Traditional Zulu Culture exhibit. The Zulu use the dried leaves of Hyphaene coriacea to weave baskets and watertight containers; its fruits are used for carvings and jewelry.
Montgomery Botanical’s tradition of providing plant material for exhibits dates back to the 1939 New York World’s Fair, where much of the palm material for Fairchild Tropical Garden’s plant display was shipped from Colonel Montgomery’s Coconut Grove Palmetum. Tropical plant displays have long been a curiosity in more temperate reaches and make an important contribution to education.