What kind of tree can you hold in your hand?

How to think about it

1. No real tree fits in a hand, so the answer must be a tree whose name is also a word for something small.
2. Look at your hand. Name its parts: fingers, thumb, knuckles, palm.
3. One of those is also a tropical tree.
4. A palm tree shares its name with the palm of your hand.

Why “a palm tree” is the answer

The palm of your hand and a palm tree share one word, so in the punning sense you hold a palm every time you close your fist. The riddle is a vocabulary joke rather than a logic puzzle. Bonsai trees are a clever literal answer but not the pun the riddle wants.

Common wrong answers

• A bonsai. A small bonsai can sit in your hands, but the riddle wants the palm pun.
• A family tree. You can hold a drawing of one, but the name has nothing to do with hands.