Trees · Arecaceae
Dwarf fan palm
Chamaerops humilis
Spanish PalmitoCatalan MargallóNative1–4 mEvergreen
A dwarf palm with fan-shaped leaves, spiny stalks and several short trunks.
- LeafPalm fronds
- In winterYes, always green
- BarkRinged or covered in old leaf bases
- BarkIn strips
- FruitFleshy
The leaf
Fan-shaped leaves, green to greyish blue, divided almost to the base into stiff, narrow segments. The stalk is long and armed with hard spines along its edges.
The bark
The trunks are covered by the bases of old leaves and by a mat of brown fibres.
The fruit
Fleshy fruits 1 to 4 cm long, round or oval, in tight clusters among the leaves. They turn from green to yellow and then reddish brown.
The flower
The flowers are small and yellow, in short, dense clusters that appear among the leaves in spring.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Habit
It usually forms clumps of several short trunks, 1 to 2 m tall. Cultivated or protected, it can grow trunks of up to 4 m or a little more.
Where it grows
It grows on sunny, rocky slopes near the sea. In Catalonia it is abundant in the Garraf massif, next to the Penedès, and also in the Baix Ebre and the Montsià. It is widely planted in gardens.
What it can be mistaken for
The date palm and the Canary Island date palm are much taller, with a single trunk and feather-shaped leaves, not fans.
A story
It is one of only two palms native to Europe and the emblem of the Garraf Natural Park. Its leaves were plaited into brooms, baskets and rope, and its tender heart was eaten.
Find out more
- Tree: tato grasso, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Leaf: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bark: Marija Gajić, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0