Chamaerops humilis
Mediterranean fan palm
The only palm native to Europe, this vigorous clumping palm forms modest-sized mounds of multiple stems near the western Mediterranean coast, including along northern Africa. On campus, several groups are arranged along Galvez Mall near Escondido Mall. Others grow along the west edge of the New Guinea Garden, with one more on its east side. Two specimens burst out from raised planters in the northeast courtyard of Knight Management Center and can be compared with the nearby cycads (Cycas revoluta).
Two clumps were planted in the triangular islands beside the circular lawn in front of the Mausoleum, when the lawn was installed in 2021. Chinese fan palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) are nearby – the most cold-hardy palm species in the world, though the Mediterranean fan palm holds the most northerly native range. Sizeable examples grow at the entrances to the downtown Palo Alto post office.
It is worth peering into the base of a clump to observe how the fans of new shoots spread: delicate reins or fibrous threads bridge the separating segments of young leaves. Other plants invariably root in those sheltered environs; Shamel ash seedlings are common. While its clumping habit takes up more ground space, pruning costs for its many short stems are surely less than for a single, towering specimen of a taller species. Campus individuals top out at around 12 feet.
Its shrubby character is encoded in the Greek roots of its genus name: chamai means “on the ground,” indicating dwarfness. (A chameleon is a dwarf or ground-hugging lion.) Rops means bush. The same attribute is expressed in its species name, this time in Latin: humilis means humble or lowly, literally “on the earth” (humus). See also Liquidambar styraciflua, where an essential quality of the species flows through the entire name.
Name derivation: See text above.
About this Entry: Authored Jul 2025 by Sairus Patel.
