Family: Arecaceae
An invasive palm that spreads in riparian areas. Native to Mexico, this fan palm can reach heights up to 100 feet. Commonly called Mexican fan palm, a tribute to the fan-shaped fronds and native range of this palm. The frond stems, or petioles are sharply toothed; this is one way to decipher this palm from the native loulu palms.
![Invasive Mexican fan palm](https://plantpono.org/wp-content/uploads/mexfanpalmFULL.png)
The fronds persist for years, hanging on to the crown long after their color turns green to brown. The ‘frond skirt’ or ‘petticoat’ is another tell-tale way to identify this tree. The skirt is a fire hazard and a rat habitat. Mexican fan palms sometimes snap in half due to the excess weight of the spent leaves! It is a fast-growing tree that is extremely difficult to remove. Waikoloa Tree Services, LLC on Hawaii Island used a crane to take out 8 trees! It was a massive endeavor that took many hands to complete.
Mexican fan palm is considered invasive in California, Florida, and Hawaiʻi. Mexican Fan Palm is a ‘no grow’ species for the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) Plant Pono program.
Description and Dispersal:
- A single trunked palm tree that can grow up to 100 feet
- Has up to 30 fan shaped fronds
- Dead fronds persist creating a petti coat or hula skirt
- Frond petioles have sharp teeth
- Inflorescence is up to 9 feet long containing small orange-pink flowers
- Fruit is a small black drupe with a fleshy coat
- Copious amounts of viable seeds are dispersed by birds and water
High Risk Traits:
- Thrives in tropical climates
- Naturalized in Hawaiian Islands (Oahu, Maui), Florida, Southern California, Auckland New Zealand
- Regarded as a garden and landscaping weed
- An environmental weed
- Deer resistant (and probably unpalatable to other grazing animals)
- Skirt of dead fronds a fire hazard
- Shade-tolerant when young (allowing for establishment in shaded environments)
- Tolerates many soil types
- Forms dense stands
- Reproduces by seeds
- Hybridizes
- Self-compatible
- Seeds dispersed by birds, other frugivorous animals, water and intentionally by people
- Prolific seed production
Low Risk Traits:
- Ornamental
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
- Reaches maturity in >4 years (12 years report for first flowering in cultivation)
- Herbicides may provide effective control