INTRODUCTION

The Chinese Fan Palm is known for the graceful placement of it’s long, ribbon-like leaves. The palm has a single straight trunk, and can reach up to 50-feet in height, but is usually seen at 30 feet. The Chinese Fan Palm contains small dark fruits that resemble olives, and are hidden by small flowers.

 

The Chinese Fan Palm is suitable for indoor growth, and is often used in parking lots, sidewalk pits, and near deck or patios. The Chinese Fan Palm has not proven to be tolerant to urban areas.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Botanical Name: Livistona Chinensis
Pronunciation: liv-iss-TOE-nuh chih-NEN-sis
Common Name(s):Chinese Fan Palm
Family: Arecaceae
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9B through 11
Origin: not native to North America
Uses: suitable for growing indoors; large parking lot islands (> 200 square feet in size); wide tree lawns (>6 feet wide); medium-sized parking lot islands (100-200 square feet in size); medium-sized tree lawns (4-6 feet wide); recommended for buffer strips around parking
lots or for median strip plantings in the highway; near a deck or patio; narrow tree lawns (3-4 feet wide); specimen; sidewalk cutout (tree pit); residential street tree; no proven urban tolerance
Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range

USE AND MANAGEMENT

Although Chinese Fan Palm has long been used as a container palm, its neat leaf habit and interesting form make it ideal for further landscape uses, such as in staggered groupings or used as a freestanding specimen, or street tree. They form a closed canopy when planted about ten feet apart along a walk or street. They grow well in confined soil spaces. The Chinese Fan Palm is self-cleaning of old leaves and will require little or no pruning. Tolerant of full sun, young specimens of Chinese Fan Palm should be partially shaded. Any reasonably fertile, well-drained soil, including alkaline, is suitable and Chinese Fan Palm should be fertilized two or three times during the year. Chinese Fan Palm should be watered during dry spells and will benefit from an organic mulch.

Propagation is by seed.

 

Pests

Scales presenet a problem to the Chinese Fan Palm.

Diseases

The Chinese Fan Palm is moderately susceptible to lethal yellowing disease.