Dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis)
Description
Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the palm family Arecaceae. The only currently fully accepted species is Chamaerops humilis, variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates. Chamaerops humilis is a shrub-like clumping palm, with several stems growing from a single base. It has an underground rhizome which produces shoots with palmate, sclerophyllous leaves.The stems grow slowly and often tightly together, eventually reaching 2-5 m (10-20 ft) tall with a trunk diameter of 20-25 cm (8-10 in). It is a fan palm (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae), and as such, has leaves with petioles terminating in rounded fans of 10-20 leaflets. Each leaf is up to 1.5 m (5 ft) long, with leaflets 50-80 cm (20-30 in) long. The petioles are armed with numerous sharp, needle-like spines; these may protect the stem growing point from browsing animals.The flowers are borne in dense, short inflorescences at the tops of the stems. The plants usually, but not invariably, are dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants. The prophyll covers the flowers on the inflorescence until the sexual phase (anthesis) and then splits open apically into two triangular lobes. The number of flowers per inflorescence is highly variable for both male and female plants, depending on the size of the inflorescence. Female flowers are tri-ovulate. Unripe fruits are bright green, turning to dull yellow to brown as they ripen during autumn (September-November).
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Arecales
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Family: Arecaceae
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Genus: Chamaerops
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