Fan palms
The fan palms (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae; palms with fan-shaped leaves) include all of the hardiest palms.
- Trachycarpus palms (particularly Chusan palm T. fortunei and Kumaon palm T. takil) – these are considered to be the most cold hardy palms in the world. These tough species are native to eastern China, Myanmar, and the Himalayas where severe (though brief) winter conditions occur. Hardy to about −15 to −20 °C (5 to −4 °F) unprotected, with exceptional tolerance recorded of −27 °C (−17 °F), they grow at high altitudes where temperatures are cool. It is also tolerant of low summer temperatures. Mature specimens can also be found in Ireland, throughout Great Britain (north to northwestern Scotland), southwestern Canada (in the city of Vancouver and on Vancouver Island), southern Switzerland (Ticino). Trachycarpus is also grown extensively in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.[citation needed] In the United States, Trachycarpus is cultivated along the Pacific coast and as far north as Washington[citation needed] and along the Atlantic coast as far north as southern Connecticut. Large mature specimens can be found from Maryland south to Georgia, though numbers decline toward southern Georgia south toward Florida, where native palms exist. Across the interior of the United States, there are reports of long term specimens that have survived north to the Ohio River, with several long term plantings in the higher elevations of Tennessee and western North Carolina. It is rated as winter hardy to USDA zone 7. Trachycarpus palms are the most cold and cool summer hardy of all the palms, although absolute minimum temperature may be exceeded by needle palms, Sabal minor, as well as very brief nighttime cold exposure to desert palms. For instance, on the northern coast of Estonia, in hardiness zone 6, individual Trachycarpus fortunei are also grown. The northernmost reported growing successfully are at 62°N latitude in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands.
- Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) – the only palm native to southern Europe besides the Cretan date palm, it is very drought-tolerant and hardy to −12 °C (10 °F), but does prefer hot summers. Despite the fact that this palm is less hardy than many palms listed here, it has the northernmost native habitat. It is rated as winter hardy to USDA zone 8. It is found in abundance across most of southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a very slow-growing plant. The blue variety Chamaerops humilis var. argentea (syn. var. cerifera), native to high elevations of the Atlas Mountains, has recently been introduced into the trade and early reports indicate that it may be 5 °C (9 °F) or more degrees hardier than the green variety.
- Needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) – this clustering and usually trunkless palm is native to the subtropical southeastern United States, from central Florida to Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama in the United States. It is considered hardy to −20 °C (−4 °F), and is cultivated along the East Coast from Florida to southern Massachusetts, and along the West Coast from California to Seattle. They have proven hardy in the Tennessee Valley region and up into the lower Ohio Valley. The needle palm is very slow-growing and rarely reaches heights of over 1 m (3 ft 3 in), though very old specimens in the deep south can reach 5 m (16 ft) in height and width. There are documented specimens that have been growing in White County, Tennessee, since the early part of the 1960s, as well as the United States National Arboretum in the city of Washington D.C., that are at 3 m (9.8 ft) in height.
- Mazari palm (Nannorrhops richtiana) – this palm, native to the dry, mountainous terrains of northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and surrounding regions, is also thought to be extremely cold hardy (perhaps to about −20 °C or −4 °F), though also requiring hot summers and dry soils. However, due to its limited availability in cultivation, not much is known about this palm. Mazari palm is not easy to grow; perfect drainage and full sun are required for this palm to survive. This palm will not tolerate wet freezes.
- Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) – these palms are native to Florida and coastal areas from South Carolina to Louisiana. They are found in various pine-dominated habitats (such as Longleaf pine ecosystem, Loblolly pine areas, and South Florida pine flatwoods), and in scrub, dry hammocks, and dry and wet prairie.
- Sabal palms (palmettos; 13 species) – these palms are native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), the state tree of both Florida and South Carolina, is widely cultivated along the south Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States, and needs hot and humid summers to grow. The species is considered hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 8, and may survive short periods of temperatures as low as −14 °C (7 °F). Large and older specimens can be found from southeastern Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas. There are a few documented smaller specimens of cabbage palm growing in zone 7b in southern Maryland, Delaware, and coastal Connecticut in the city of Bridgeport. The Mexican palmetto (Sabal mexicana) is a close relative of the cabbage palmetto that is native to southern Texas and northern Mexico. Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is considered hardy to USDA zone 6b, like the needle palm. It can tolerate short periods of temperatures as low as −18 °C (0 °F). Endemic to the swamps and lowlands of the south Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States, it can stand long periods of heat and drought. Sabal minor is successfully cultivated across the entire southern United States below 35 latitude, and up the East Coast to 41 latitude and up the West Coast to 45 latitude.
- Caranday palm (Trithrinax campestris) – this South American palm is native of sabanas in Uruguay and northeastern Argentina. It is a palm that grows in arid, well drained, rocky soils. Its distinctive features are its compact shape, short green to greyish foliage, and trunk fully hidden by dry dead branches (coat) remaining from several previous seasons. It is very resistant to drought, and -9 °C/-15 °C temperatures when not in growing season, although it tends to shed its leaves in these conditions. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms in the world, because it also grows in the mountains of Sierras de Córdoba.[citation needed]
- Washingtonia palms (Washingtonia filifera var. filifera, W. filifera var. robusta) – these palms are native to southern California and northwest Mexico, growing as high as 30 m (98 ft) in their native habitat. W. filifera is hardy to −12 °C (10 °F); it prefers a dry Mediterranean climate, though it still grows in areas with humid subtropical climates like Brisbane, Sydney, Houston, and New Orleans. It is sometimes grown in containers, or planted as short-term specimens in areas where it is not quite hardy. W. f. var. robusta is somewhat less hardy, native to the Baja California Peninsula of northern Mexico It has a more robust trunk and stiffer leaves than W. filifera, and is hardy to −10 °C (14 °F).
- Livistona australis – It is native to southeastern Australia.
- Rhapis excelsa – native to China and it is hardy to about −7 °C (19 °F).
- Mexican blue palm (Brahea armata) – native to Baja California in Mexico and hardy to about −8 °C (18 °F).
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