Landscaping with Livistona Palms: A Grower's Guide

Livistonas—tall, solitary fan palms from Australia, Asia, and Africa—are among the best landscape palms. Most are cold-hardy, relatively fast-growing, and thrive in both tropical and marginal climates. Here's an introduction to key species and their cultivation, based on my Southern California experience.

Why Livistonas Won Me Over

Initially overlooked because they resemble common Washingtonia robusta, Livistonas proved their worth: distinct differences, diverse species, and exceptional cold tolerance. After harsh winters, many Livistonas were the only palms unscathed.

Key Identification Traits

• Single trunk, fan-shaped leaves with unsplit leaf bases (vs. split in Washingtonia).
• Petioles armed with sharp teeth/thorns (some huge and curved).
• Leaf tips often droopy; leaves costapalmate (palmate with midrib) or flat.
• Mostly monoecious; some dioecious.

Species Profiles

Livistona chinensis (Chinese Fan Palm)

The classic, hardiest Livistona (zone 8b+). Large, elegantly drooping leaflets; tolerates sun to deep shade; great as potted plant. Slow trunking but versatile and widely available.

Livistona rotundifolia (Footstool Palm)

Tropical speedster: seed to 10-ft trunk in 4–5 years in ideal heat/humidity. Fails in Mediterranean climates (even zone 10a/10b) unless in perfect microclimates. Bare red-brown trunk, huge juvenile leaves.

Livistona decorum (Ribbon Fan Palm, syn. decipiens)

Second most common in temperate zones. Finer, faster, darker leaves than chinensis; wickedly sharp teeth. Hardy to ~20°F. Leans occasionally; stunning in Hawaii and California alike.

Livistona australis

Similar to decorum but taller (to 100 ft), greener juvenile leaves, later drooping. Hardy to ~20°F. Often confused with decorum.

Livistona saribus (Taraw Palm)

Asian native with cold tolerance to mid-20s°F (zone 9b). Large, nearly circular bright green leaves; massive curved black thorns. Fast in humidity, slow in California (decades to trunk).

Other Notable Species

L. nitida (fast, colorful seedlings), L. drudei (less hardy, similar to australis), L. mariae (striking maroon juveniles, fades with age), L. fulva (rust-colored leaf undersides), L. lanuginosa (woolly gray-green leaves), L. muelleri (stiff flat leaves, tropical only), L. jenkinsiana (huge pie-plate leaves), L. merrillii (surprisingly cold-hardy for a Philippine native), L. benthamii (retained leaf bases like steps, huge thorns), L. carinensis (only African species, black/yellow petioles, very slow), L. victoriae (blue-gray leaves, extremely slow), L. alfredii (better cold tolerance, faster than victoriae), L. humilis (true dwarf, dioecious), L. inermis (ornamental pink-orange petioles, demanding warmth).

With such diversity, there's a Livistona for almost every landscape. Explore and enjoy!