Palms For California

Pronunciation: liv-ih-STONE- uh awe-STRALL-iss

Common Name: Australian Fan Palm, Australian Cabbage Tree

Livistona australis is one of the most cold hardy of the Livistona species and a very 'typical' drooping, 'ribbon'-leaved Livistona landscape species, good for use in most areas of southern California. It is very similar in appearance to the popular Livistona decorum (aka Livistona decipiens) with with slightly beefier, less divided leaves.

Synonyms: Livistona 'Paluma Range'; Livistona 'Eugenella Range'

Appearance and Biology Habit: solitary with a crown of 30-50 leaves Height: 50' Trunk: single, clean except lowest 3'-5' where leaf bases tend to remain on slightly flared trunk base; not ringed; 10" diameter Crownshaft: none Spread: 10'-14' Leaf Description: moderately costapalmate; leaves divided about 2/3 their length (more so in juvenile palms) and leaflets droopy; bright, deep to yellowy green; 8' long (including petiole) Petiole/Leaf bases: 4'-5' long, arching only slightly; white flecking on undersides with central yellowish line; margins heavily armed with 2-3cm very sharp brown teeth, about 3cm apart; leaf bases reddish and unsplit, often retained for years on lowest part of trunk Reproduction: monoecious but 'functionally dioecious' Inflorescence: 3'-4' long and highly branched; pale yellow flowers, drooping from center of crown Fruit: 2cm diameter; spherical green to brown-black when ripe Seed: 1.5cm spherical

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 20F Drought Tolerance: good Dry Heat Tolerance: good Wind Tolerance: good, but struggles in desert winds Salt Tolerance: moderate Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age Soil Preference: highly adaptable to most soil types Light Requirement: full sun Human Hazards: hazardous petiolar teeth- caution while pruning; hard, spherical seeds on sidewalks can be treacherous Disease or Horticultural Problems: occasional potassium deficiency Transplants?: can be moved but with setbacks Indoor?: possible but probably not a good candidate Availability: somewhat rare but widely available at specialty nurseries