I'm the only palm tree native to continental Europe, and am happiest in a Mediterranean-type climate: cool, moist winters and summer drought. I'm hardy along the Gulf Coasts down to 20 degrees. Because I'm slow growing, I can be kept in containers on patios and sheltered courtyards, or as a house plant.
Suckers coming up from my base create a mounding mass of foliage about 6 feet wide, or the suckers may be removed to form a single stem. My fronds are stiff and fan-shaped and about 2 feet across. My petioles are about 3 feet long and slender and have rows of teeth, making me a little difficult to work around. My yellow flowers form deep in my fronds, and are unremarkable. When fully opened, my male and female flowers attract pollinators, the Derelomus weevil, with floral-like chemical compounds which are curiously released by my leaves and not by my flowers.
My ripe pulp smells strongly of rancid butter, and attracts badgers and foxes. The leaves of my adult plants have been used in basket weaving to make mats, carrier baskets, and brooms. My seeds are inedible for humans, but have been used in medicine as an astringent because of their bitterness and high tannin content.
Due to my re-sprouting ability after fire, I have a high ecological value for preventing erosion and desertization. But my natural habitat is rapidly declining due to urbanization, and protective regulations have been instituted to prevent eradication. I'm also threatened by an introduced South American moth, Paysandisia archon
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Suckers coming up from my base create a mounding mass of foliage about 6 feet wide, or the suckers may be removed to form a single stem. My fronds are stiff and fan-shaped and about 2 feet across. My petioles are about 3 feet long and slender and have rows of teeth, making me a little difficult to work around. My yellow flowers form deep in my fronds, and are unremarkable. When fully opened, my male and female flowers attract pollinators, the Derelomus weevil, with floral-like chemical compounds which are curiously released by my leaves and not by my flowers.
My ripe pulp smells strongly of rancid butter, and attracts badgers and foxes. The leaves of my adult plants have been used in basket weaving to make mats, carrier baskets, and brooms. My seeds are inedible for humans, but have been used in medicine as an astringent because of their bitterness and high tannin content.
Due to my re-sprouting ability after fire, I have a high ecological value for preventing erosion and desertization. But my natural habitat is rapidly declining due to urbanization, and protective regulations have been instituted to prevent eradication. I'm also threatened by an introduced South American moth, Paysandisia archon
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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Photo credit: OnlinePlantGuide.com Answer?
Chamaerops humilis: Mediterranean or European Fan Palm
Chamaerops humilis: Mediterranean or European Fan Palm
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