Eurapean (Mediterranean) Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis

Light Requirement: Full sun to partial shade. It performs best in full sun but can tolerate light shade.

Height: Usually 8–15 ft. tall in Florida landscapes, with a similar spread over time. It is slow-growing and often stays smaller for many years.

Growth Habit: Slow-growing, clumping fan palm with multiple trunks and stiff, rounded fan-shaped fronds. Foliage can range from green to blue-green depending on variety and growing conditions.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 8–11; very cold hardy for a palm and can tolerate temperatures around 10°F once established, with possible foliage damage during hard freezes; highly drought tolerant once established; salt tolerance is reported differently by sources, but generally ranges from low to moderate, so it is best protected from heavy direct salt spray.

Maintenance Info: Low to moderate maintenance. Remove dead fronds as needed and thin out extra suckers if a cleaner, more open multi-trunk look is desired. Use palm fertilizer during the growing season and plant in well-drained soil. The leaf stems have sharp teeth/spines, so avoid placing it too close to narrow walkways, pool edges, or areas where people and pets will brush against it.

Best Uses in the Landscape: Great as a specimen palm, entryway accent, foundation planting, courtyard palm, pool-area accent, container palm, commercial landscape feature, or Mediterranean-style garden plant. Its compact size and slow growth make it useful where larger palms would eventually outgrow the space.

Plant Info: European Fan Palm is native to the western Mediterranean region and is one of the only palms native to continental Europe. It is popular in Florida landscapes because it gives a tropical, sculptural look while staying compact and handling cold better than many other palms. Its clumping form can be left full and shrub-like or selectively pruned to show off the individual trunks.