Saribus rotundifolius

Saribus rotundifolius, long known as Livistona rotundifolia, is a tall fan palm of the lowland forests and swamps of the Philippines, Borneo, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and western New Guinea.

Young plants are grown for their almost perfectly circular, glossy, shallowly divided leaves on a slender trunk; older trees carry a ball-shaped crown of smaller, more deeply split leaves. In the Philippines it is the anahaw.

At a glance

• Native range: Philippines, Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku and New Guinea
• Mature size: usually 15–27 m
• Growth rate: fast in hot, humid conditions; very slow in cool or dry climates
• Light: shade and shelter when young; full sun once established
• Water: regular; moist, well-drained, fertile soil
• Cold hardiness: about −1 °C at best; safer above +2 °C
• Indoors / outdoors: young plants make fine indoor palms; outdoors only in warm, humid climates

Care

Grow it warm and humid in fertile, loamy soil with regular watering; it tolerates periodically wet ground. In containers it can be kept indoors for some years. It needs warmth combined with humidity to thrive.

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