Species · genus Chamaerops · Arecaceae

European Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis L.

Also known as: Dwarf Fan Palm · Mediterranean Fan Palm · Mediterranean Fan-fern · Dwarf Palm · Hair Palm

Growth habit

subshrub or shrub

Native range

Algeria, Baleares, France, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Tunisia

Reference · C. humilis

Cultivars of C. humilis

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under C. humilis yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

The Mediterranean fan palm is a hardy shrub native to the dry, sunny coasts and hillsides of the western Mediterranean, so it wants bright direct sun and gritty, fast-draining soil. Let the soil dry well between waterings, soaking deeply only when the top two inches of mix are dry; it tolerates drought far better than soggy roots. Average to dry indoor air suits it, and good airflow helps prevent rot.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-18d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 18 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

7–29 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus or palm mix

Propagation

Division of offshoots or fresh seed

Fertilizing

Balanced feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-18d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow European Fan Palm yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.