SCIENTIFIC NAME: Latania loddigesii

COMMON NAME(S): Blue latan palm
SUB FAMILY: Coryphoideae
TRIBE: Borasseae
ORIGIN: Mauritius Island (Mascarenes)
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (no problem at 34 degrees F), (thought to be hardy to 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 30'
GROWTH RATE: Slow
HABIT: Solitary; canopy of 1-2 dozen leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Moderate
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: High
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: None
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: None

COMMENTS: The latan palms are lovely tropical fan palms, as striking when young, due to their specific coloration, as they are as mature specimens. Much of the color fades as these palms age, thus older individuals of the different species can be difficult to distinguish from each other without attention to some rather inconspicuous features. Blue latans are highlighted with mottled blue, most of the color concentrated in the leaf stems and veins. It is also the 'scurfiest' of the species, with a dense deposit of wooly wax on the leaf undersides. Small seedlings can be an intense purple-red, and easily confused with red latan. As they age, they become less red than the red latan. The seed of the blue latan has a distinctive, convoluted surface ornamentation at its broader end, and sure identity is best confirmed by observation of seeds. All latan palms are adapted to a seasonally dry tropical climate, and prosper with hot, wet summers and warm but drier winters. In the wild, they often occur close to the shore (but on cliffs and in canyons where they would not receive direct salt spray). Older specimens are at some risk in areas known to harbor lethal yellowing disease.