Ribbon Fan Palm Livistona decora

Ribbon fan palm is a single-trunked Queensland native from the wet subtropical coast, sold for years under the name Livistona decipiens. Its leaves are cut so deeply that the segments hang down in loose ribbons, so the crown moves and flickers in a breeze where other fan palms sit rigid. Old leaf bases leave a patterned trunk behind them as it lifts. It is used for feature planting, avenues and courtyards, in odd-numbered groups for canopy or as a single vertical against a tall wall.

Full sun, and a palm that will not tidy itself

It wants full sun once hardened off, tolerates low to moderate watering after establishment, and grows slowly, so allow time for a young plant to make clean trunk. Soil can be ordinary, provided it drains; deep soil with mulch produces the fuller crown. It handles warm coastal and inland gardens better than the tropical palms in this batch, though cold dry wind leaves the ribbon segments looking tattered. The failure mode is maintenance, and it is the one people do not budget for. This palm is not self-cleaning. Spent fronds hang on in a brown skirt below the crown and stay there until somebody removes them, which means ladder work every year or two for the life of the tree. The leaf stalks are also armed with sharp teeth along their edges. Plant it away from paths, driveways and pool coping, and think carefully before putting one where access for a ladder or lift would be awkward later.

Ribbon fan against the other palms with presence

Against foxtail palm, the practical difference is upkeep and texture. Foxtail sheds its own fronds and gives a soft plumed crown, but it wants heat and sharp drainage; ribbon fan gives a hard-edged fan silhouette, takes cooler and drier conditions, and asks for that annual tidy-up. Against mangrove fan palm, the other fan palm here, the split is total: Licuala is a slow, clumping shade plant for humid courtyards, while Livistona decora is a sun-hardy single-trunk tree for open ground and avenues. Put simply, take the foxtail for a pool surround where nobody wants ladder work, and take this one where you want a fan palm that will hold up in an exposed, drier position. Landscape-scale stock sits in the 200L and larger range.

Skirt removal, and how much to cut

Prune in the warm months with a pruning saw or a long-handled pole saw, and wear thick gloves and long sleeves for the toothed leaf stalks. Cut spent fronds close to the trunk without cutting into it, and take off only fronds that have gone fully brown. Cutting green fronds to leave a narrow crown weakens the palm and does nothing for its shape, whatever it looks like from a ladder. Feed in early spring and again in mid summer with a controlled release palm fertiliser that includes potassium and magnesium, spread across the root zone, then renew the mulch. Clear fallen fruit from lawn areas before it germinates.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 9 sizes, from 200mm up to 1500L, priced from $29.95 to $14029.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to when to plant in Australia.