Fan Palm Licuala sallehana

If you picture a fan palm as a whole, uncut circle of pleated leaf, this small Malaysian understorey species is close to the ideal of it. The leaves are held like folded paper fans on slender stalks, often with a toothed outer margin, and the plant clusters at the base rather than running up a single stem, so the trunk stays low for years. It is a close range plant: a sheltered courtyard, the front of a shaded bed, or a large pot where the leaf can be seen properly.

Rainforest floor conditions, held steady

Everything it needs comes from the forest floor: deep shade or filtered light only, warmth year round, high humidity, no frost at all, and soil rich in organic matter that stays moist while still draining. Light is shade to part shade and direct sun bleaches and burns the leaves within days. Growth is very slow, so the plant you buy is close to the plant you will have for some time. The failure mode is dry air combined with a root zone that dries out, which is the standard indoor and courtyard problem. Even a brief dry period browns the leaf margins, and because a new leaf takes months to appear, that damage sits on display far longer than on a fast growing plant. Keep the mulch deep, water before the mix dries rather than after, group pots together or stand them on damp pebbles to lift local humidity, and keep it away from air conditioning outlets and heater vents.

The small fan palm in a batch of large ones

The comparison to make is against Licuala ramsayi and Licuala elegans, both of which build a real trunk and eventually carry their crowns overhead. Sallehana does not; it stays low and clustering, with a smaller, more circular, more toothed leaf. Buy the larger species when you want a shaded courtyard feature with height and presence, and buy sallehana when the plant will be viewed from close range, at ground level or in a pot, and when its slowness is acceptable rather than frustrating. The sensible way to think about it is per plant rather than per bed. Sallehana is bought as one specimen to be seen at close range, so it belongs where people stand still, beside a seat, an entry or a shaded step, rather than scattered through a large planting.

Very little cutting, very light feeding

Prune almost nothing. Remove a leaf only when it has browned completely, cutting the stalk near its base with gloves on, and never tidy a leaf that still holds green, because replacements come slowly. Feed twice through the warm months at half the label rate with a palm fertiliser containing magnesium, and flush pots with a long soak every few months so fertiliser salts do not build up and burn the leaf margins. Wipe or hose the leaves occasionally to lift dust and check the undersides for mite. See more in palm trees.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 2 sizes, from 300mm up to 400mm, priced from $619.00 to $779.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to when to plant in Australia.