Named in honor of a Scottish baron, the Livistonas are a uniquely captivating species. The Taraw Fan Palm is especially so. Despite doing quite well – even thriving – in Southern California it is rarely seen and almost unknown in the area. Recognized for its full head of cascading drooping leaves, it is easily recognized and appreciated in any landscape. Its divided blade-like leaves fan out up to 4 to 5 feet across, but the tips flow downward as unique to Livistonas. Its leaves are at their most lustrous and glossy in indirect light or shade. Its petioles bare ominously sharp teeth and provide a striking contrast against its lustrous green foliage.
The specimens in our collection grow rapidly with water in the heat of Riverside and those free of leaf bases have impressive, shiny red-brown trunks which may eventually gray with sun exposure. The trunk is equally impressive with decorative fiberious leaf bases, which look as if they were methodically hand wrapped to the tree with rolls of tan paper. As the stem reaches skyward, much light passes through its crown of long petioles as they extend out into largely segmented leaves that droop heavily in from the leaf tips. All this lends a rich tropical feel to the tree unmatched by any other tribe of palmate or costapalmate palm in our collection. The dramatic, jungle-like appearance is accented by the petiole’s wild, shark tooth-like armature. Everything about this palm evokes a truly tropical, awe-inspiring environment that is far removed from the urban jungle of Southern California.
