Chamaerops humilis - dwarf palm (Forest palm)

Genus of a species of bushy palm native to the western Mediterranean regions. Chamaerops humilis is a small evergreen palm, very bushy which in nature rarely exceeds 2-3 m in height but in cultivation can reach a height of 4-6 m. Small stem covered with fibrous material and brown tending towards reddish in colour. The large, robust leaves open like a fan and are supported by long, spiny petioles that cluster at the top of the plant. The flowers are grouped in a very short and branched dark yellow panicle inflorescence. The fruits are small dates gathered in clusters, first yellow then orange when ripe.

Pedoclimatic needs

It adapts to all types of soil, preferring well-drained ones, but also tolerates stony and dry soils. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade. Fairly rustic plant, it resists minimum temperatures reaching -10°/-12°c. It resists strong wind and salt and for this reason it can also be bred near the sea. It adapts to being grown both in large pots and in the ground. This species is very long-lived and in the botanical garden of Padua, there is a specimen that is more than 400 years old. The palm was planted in 1585 and now stands more than 10 meters tall. This magnificent specimen, famous throughout the world, took the

Botanical Information

Botanical name of "Goethe's palm" as the poet, after seeing it, referred to it in his essay on the metamorphosis of plants.

Botanical Information

Botanical Name: Chamaerops humilis

Family: Arecaceae