Borassodendron machadonis

Borassodendron machadonis is a tall, completely spineless fan palm from the lowland forests of the northern Malay Peninsula and peninsular Thailand. A close relative of the palmyra palms, it carries a heavy crown of huge, dark green fans whose segments droop and hang irregularly, on stalks up to 4 m long.

Male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Rare in the wild, listed as Vulnerable and slow-growing, it is valued by collectors as a bold specimen for humid, frost-free gardens.

At a glance

• Native range: Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and probably southern Myanmar
• Mature size: up to 20 m in the wild; about 15 m in cultivation in Singapore
• Growth rate: slow to moderate
• Light: full sun
• Water: steady moisture in quick-draining soil
• Cold hardiness: needs a hot, humid tropical climate
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors only in the tropics; elsewhere a palm for a large heated glasshouse

Care

Grow it warm and humid, in soil rich in organic matter that drains quickly. The leaf stalks are unarmed but their edges are razor sharp, so take care when trimming old leaves or working close to young plants. Even as seedlings the leaves are already divided, which makes young plants distinctive.

Why Palmpedia: Grown in our greenhouse in Almeirim, Portugal, and supplied in 15 L to 35 L pots.