Chinese Fan Palm

The Essence

"The Chinese fan palm (Livistona chinensis), also called the Chinese fountain palm or simply fountain palm, is a single-stemmed tree grown worldwide as a popular ornamental in gardens and conservatories. Its appeal lies in the large, fan-shaped (costapalmate) leaves, 3 to 4 feet across and up to 6 feet long, whose segment tips droop gracefully to give the crown a fountain-like cascade. Mature plants reach about 9 to 15 m (30 to 50 ft) tall with a spread of roughly 4 m, and flower stalks up to 6 feet long emerge from within the crown, though they are relatively inconspicuous. The small fruits are blue-green to gray-blue. Native to southern Japan, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, south-eastern China and Hainan, it is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11 and tolerates temperatures down to about 22 degrees F (-6 degrees C). Tough and easy to grow, it handles light shade or full sun and is considered drought tolerant, which helps explain its wide popularity."

Two notable native populations in Japan occupy islands near Miyazaki Prefecture: Aoshima and Tsuki Shima.