The Elegant Fan Palm (Licuala peltata) is a monoecious and ornamental palm, with a single and short stem and very slow growth. It is characterized by having up to 15 huge leaves, pleated, shiny, and palmate in the “peltata” form, and whole and round in the “sumawongii” form. Each leaf is supported by a strong petiole, with spiny margins, and as the leaves fall, part of the old petioles remains on the stem, covering it and giving it a fibrous appearance.
The inflorescences emerge from the foliage and are of the spike type, arched, subdividing from a central rachis, into many spikelets. Each spikelet carries numerous greenish, hermaphroditic flowers, which are very attractive to bees for being fragrant and rich in nectar. The following fruits are globular drupes, orange in color when ripe, and each carries a single seed.
This fan palm is ideal for growing indoors, in large and perfectly drainable pots. However, it needs supplemental humidity in dry environments, and will look ugly, with burnt tips, in places with permanently on air conditioning. It also dispenses with large spaces, both to develop and to be proportional to the environment.
The Elegant Fan Palm is ideal for large living rooms, lobbies, winter gardens, patios, greenhouses, and entrance halls, as in shopping malls, large offices, and residences. In the garden, it adapts very well in shaded places by other larger trees, where it can be an interesting ground cover, adding tropical and sculptural beauty wherever it is used, isolated or in small groups. Its exuberant leaves invariably create a focus of attention in the garden.
It should be cultivated under filtered light or partial shade, in a preferably sandy substrate, enriched with organic matter, drainable and irrigated regularly. Licuala peltata appreciates the heat and humidity of the tropics but is one of the few fan palms that can withstand lower temperatures down to -2°C. It fears strong winds, which dry out and tear the leaves.
It is propagated by seeds, obtained from ripe fruits and promptly depulped, placed to germinate after a day of soaking in warm water, in a sandy substrate kept warm and moist. It takes between 3 weeks to 4 months for germination to occur. Even so, it is uneven and presents low germination rates.
