Thursday, January 28, 2010

Livistona chinensis (Chinese Fan Palm)

Livistona chinensis is a beautiful palm native to southern Japan and Taiwan.  Hardy to USDA Zone 8.
They grow slowly to about 40' tall and have bright green leaves that grow 4-5' across with drooping tips.

This tree was planted as a 3 gallon pot 20 years ago.  The curve in the trunk is because an Oak tree fell on this palm during a hurricane in 2004.  I like the effect though!

They produce large clusters of seeds which turn a shade of blue when ripe. 

Mine is producing a bumper crop of seeds this year.  Here you can see how thickly they are falling on the driveway.

2 comments:

Susan said...

I like the look of a palm growing crooked, as well. It adds a bit of uniqueness to a garden.

Noel Morata said...

that was a great post, i enjoyed it...the leaning palm is amusing too!