SCIENTIFIC NAME: Licuala grandis

COMMON NAME(S): Licuala palm
SUB FAMILY: Coryphoideae
TRIBE: Corypheae
ORIGIN: New Hebrides Islands
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (severely damaged or killed at 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 8'
GROWTH RATE: Slow
HABIT: Solitary; canopy of 10-20 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Low
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Low
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Medium
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: High
POPULAR USES: Small tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: Spiny
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: None

COMMENTS: Licuala grandis, with its seemingly perfectly circular leaves (in fact, they are not) is one of the most attractive palms available for tropical landscapes. The corrugated and (usually) unsegmented leaves are a bright, shiny green and immediately catch the eye with their elegant and symmetrical shape. Licuala grandis is a wet rain forest understory plant, and requires part shade for best appearance, in a situation protected from drying winds. It should receive irrigation during prolonged dry periods. A well-drained but organic soil is ideal; on sandy soils, maintenance of an organic mulch is strongly recommended. This slow-growing species can also be maintained for many years in a large container or tub on a shaded patio. Similar species: The genus Licuala consists of 100 or more single-stemmed or clustering species that are not well understood taxonomically. The following solitary species are occasionally cultivated: L. ramsayi (Australia, New Guinea) can reach 20' and bears circular leaves that eventually divide into several irregular segments. L. lauterbachii (New Guinea) is a tender species that grows to 12' and bears nearly circular leaves split into about 30 segments. L. paludosa (Malaysia and southeast Asia) resembles a single-stemmed, spiny licuala (L. spinosa).