Fan palm

As a fan palm palm species are known that have palmately divided ( palmate ) leaves. The outline of the leaf is fan-shaped, leaf ribs go radiating from the approach of the petiole to the blade edge.

Palmate leaves in the strict sense are rare, an example is the genus Thrinax. Much more common are costapalmate leaves, where a clearly pronounced midrib far extends a distance into the leaf blade.

Most palm trees with palmate leaves have more or less divided leaves. Undivided leaves possess some species of the genus Licuala and all representatives of Johannesteijsmannia.

Palm trees with palmate leaves are compared with those having feathered ( pinnaten ) leaves much in the minority. Palmate leaves have the following groups:

• The following tribes of Coryphoideae: Sabaleae, Cryosophileae, Trachycarpeae, Chuniophoeniceae, Corypheae, Borasseae
• Mauritiinae within the Calamoideae

Documents

• John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, Carl E. Lewis: Genera palmarum. The Evolution and Classification of Palms. 2nd Edition, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2008, ISBN 978-1-84246-182-2, pp. 14ff.

• Plant Type