Chamaerops humilis 'Argentea'

Chamaerops humilis is the European fan palm, one of only two palms native to Europe and the only one wild in the western Mediterranean, including Portugal. This listing is var. argentea, the silver-blue form from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, still widely sold as var. cerifera.

It forms bushy clumps of short trunks crowned with stiff, deeply split fans on spiny stalks. Like the species it tolerates frost, drought, wind and salt Its silver foliage stands out beautifully in a sunny, dry garden.

At a glance

• Native range: western Mediterranean; var. argentea from the Moroccan Atlas
• Mature size: usually 1–4 m
• Growth rate: slow; var. argentea is slower than the green form
• Light: full sun; too much shade makes it open and loose
• Water: very drought and heat tolerant
• Cold hardiness: about −12 °C for established plants of the species
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors in gardens and large containers

Care

Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. The silver form is especially tolerant of drought and heat but more prone to crown rot if watered from overhead, so water at the base. Old or damaged stems can be cut out and the clump will renew itself; removing suckers trains it to a single trunk. Indoors or under glass, check for mealybugs, scale and spider mites.

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