Plant Library

Other Names:  Fan Palm

Description:

A magnificent, medium sized, single trunked palm featuring large, fan shaped leaves with silvery undersides; persistent old leaf bases should be trimmed away; survives mild freezing temps, hot sun, and wind; a wonderful addition to the tropical landscape

Ornamental Features

Sinaloa Hesper Palm is draped in stunning clusters of white flowers hanging below the branches from late winter to early spring. It has attractive grayish green foliage with silver undersides. The large fan-shaped palmate leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. The lime green fruits which fade to black over time are held in clusters from early to mid summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. The rough gray bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Sinaloa Hesper Palm is an open evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a towering form, with a high canopy of foliage concentrated at the top of the plant. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sinaloa Hesper Palm is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening

Planting & Growing

Sinaloa Hesper Palm will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 6 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 150 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.