SCIENTIFIC NAME: Caryota rumphiana

COMMON NAME(S): Giant fishtail palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Caryoteae
ORIGIN: Southeast Asia to Australia
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 60'
GROWTH RATE: Fast
HABIT: Solitary; palm dies after fruiting; canopy of 10-20 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Low
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Moderate
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Moderate; high
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: Irritant
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS:

COMMENTS: The canopy of huge, erect, fishtail-like leaves and robust trunk of this species make it a valuable, albeit temporary, specimen plant in subtropical gardens. As with all fishtail palms, the fruit should not be handled without protection from the irritating calcium oxalate crystals that they contain.