Carnarvon Fan Palm Livistona nitida

Carnarvon fan palm comes from the gorge country of central Queensland, and it is the tallest and most slender of the Livistonas offered here: a clean single trunk carrying a full round crown of glossy costapalmate leaves whose segment tips droop and flicker in any wind. The gloss is the giveaway, noticeably brighter and finer in the leaf than the common cabbage tree palm. At the size stocked it is bought as a finished landscape element for an open site, an entry statement or a large scale avenue.

Dry country origins, wet establishment

It handles inland heat, dry air and light frost better than most palms in this range, which is why it appears in western and inland plantings where the coastal species struggle. Full sun is the position, water is low to moderate once established, and growth is slow. Deep soil suits it, and drainage matters more than fertility. The failure mode with a palm this size is establishment, not climate. A large transplanted specimen carries a full crown on a root system that has been cut back into a container, and it cannot supply that crown until new roots run; skipped watering in the first two summers shows up as browning fronds and a crown that thins from the outside in, and the palm may take years to recover if it does at all. Water deeply and regularly through establishment, mulch the root zone, and brace the trunk if the site is windy. Keep it clear of paths and pool surrounds as well, since the leaf stalks carry hooked marginal spines and shed fronds are large and heavy.

Which fan palm for which site

Against cabbage tree palm, this is the inland specialist: glossier, more tolerant of dry heat and low humidity, and better in western gardens where the coastal native looks tired by February. Chinese fan palm is the low, wide, weeping option for a courtyard rather than an open landscape. Choose nitida when the site is large, exposed and dry, and when the planting has to look finished on the day. The three Livistonas are not interchangeable on cost alone, either. A cabbage tree palm at a similar size looks tired by February through an inland summer, and a Chinese fan palm will never give you the height, so nitida is the one that does both jobs in dry country.

Access, then a simple annual routine

Plan for access before you plant, because grooming a crown at this height needs a lift and a clear approach for it. Prune only browned fronds, cut them back to a short stub with gloves and sleeves on, and leave anything still holding green, since removing live fronds on a slow palm sets back the trunk. Feed once in early spring and again in midsummer with a palm fertiliser containing potassium and magnesium, applied out under the crown. Keep mulch deep and clear of the trunk base. Similar scale stock sits in super advanced trees.

Choosing a size

This plant is supplied in one size, 750L, at $7359.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to when to plant in Australia.