Consulta Plantas

Care of the palm tree Chamaerops humilis or European fan palm

The genus Chamaerops, family Arecaceae, includes a single species that is the only European palm tree: Chamaerops humilis.

Common names: European fan palm, Mediterranean dwarf palm. This species is native to the Mediterranean region.

They are very dense palm trees that develop the underground part a lot. The leaves are palmate or rounded and are cleft into linear lobes with spines on the petiole. The flowers are not decorative but the fruits are decorative.

Chamaerops humilis needs full sun exposure and a mild climate; it does not support temperatures below 5 ºC (41 ºF). If there is danger of frost, its advisable to cover them with plastic.

The ideal soil is a garden substrate with coarse sand to have good drainage. Spring is the best time for transplants and plantings.

Irrigation influences the type of growth: with abundant irrigations they are more slender palms and with scarce irrigations they are lower and compact.

Fertilize with compost in the fall. In pot use a mineral fertilizer once in spring and again in summer.

They are not usually attacked by pests and diseases.

They propagate in spring from the suckers that appear at their base; reproduction from seed is a much slower process.

Images of the palm tree Chamaerops humilis or European fan palm