Arecaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Chamaerops humilis

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Chamaerops humilis is a spiny, evergreen, shrubby palm that produces one to many short, unbranched trunks topped by a cluster of fan-shaped leaves. Plants in the wild are usually found in poor soils and seldom exceed 1.5 metres tall, when grown in better soils in gardens, however, they can grow up to 6 metres tall with a trunk up to 35cm in diameter[ 260 Title Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Publication Author Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Publisher Pan Books, London. Year 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5 Description Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside. ]. The plant is the source of a good quality fibre, and is often found growing in extensive wild stands. It has been harvested on a large scale in N. Africa, where it is also sometimes cultivated. The plant is also harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of fibre, and is often grown as an ornamental. Populations of Chamaerops humilis are declining in parts of its range as a result of urbanisation, but declines are not thought to reach the threshold for a threatened category. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeWestern and central Mediterranean - Portugal and Spain to Italy, Morocco to Libya.

HabitatMainly in coastal and subcoastal areas, growing amongst shrubs and on scrubland, often on nutritionally poor, dry sandy or rocky soils on mountain slopes; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[ 50 Title Flora Europaea Publication Author ? Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1964 ISBN - Description An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader. , 89 Title Flowers of the Mediterranean. Publication Author Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Publisher Hogarth Press Year 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1 Description A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses. , 166 Title The Milder Garden. Publication Author Taylor. J. Publisher Dent Year 1990 ISBN Description A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain. , 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. , 1548 Title Flora Iberica Publication Author Website http://www.floraiberica.es Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Published in book form, the treatments of the various species have also been released on-line in PDF format. Records entered here are all from the on-line PDFs. ].