Pritchardia pacifica - Fiji Fan Palm

Pritchardia pacifica is a very beautiful palm tree abundantly planted in all tropical or subtropical regions of the world. This species is characterised by magnificent foliage, composed of large rounded, plicate, erect leaves, of a very bright green shade, resembling almost completely unfolded fans. Not very hardy, it is however easy to grow in a container or a large pot, which allows it to be protected from frost in winter. It can only be grown in the ground in the most sheltered gardens of the Mediterranean or Atlantic coast. It is the perfect choice for decorating a veranda or a large bright and unheated room in winter.

Pritchardia pacifica belongs to the palm family. It is native to the Fiji Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, from where it has been introduced to Tonga and Samoa. This species of tropical palm perishes below -2 or -3°C, but adapts well to indoor cultivation as long as winter temperatures are between 10 and 15 °C. Young plants take some time to establish themselves, then growth accelerates. In the ground, Pritchardia pacifica can reach over 10 m (33ft) in height, but it will hardly produce a trunk and will not exceed 1.80 m (6ft) to 2 m (7ft) in all directions if grown in a container indoors or in a greenhouse. 

This Fiji fan palm develops a single trunk, called a stipe, almost devoid of leaf scars, quite slender and light grey in colour. At the top of this stipe, a beautiful regular, rounded leaf crown develops.  It is composed of large three-quarter circular leaves, which are called costapalmate, measuring up to 1 m (3ft) in diameter. Their margin is divided into a large number of short, bifid, rigid and erect tough segments. An adult plant will produce 6 to 8 leaves per year, each of which can measure up to 1.80 m (6ft) in length when fully unfolded. They are light green in colour, very bright, and covered with a waxy film that gives them a shiny appearance.  The leaf stalks and veins are devoid of spines but covered with a woolly whitish down. Flowers occurs in summer on mature plants aged 10 to 15 years, under favourable growing conditions. It takes the form of arched inflorescences, longer than the leaves, bearing numerous small fragrant yellowish flowers. After pollination, small globose fruits, 1.2 cm (1in) in diameter, form and turn black when ripe. Each fruit contains a seed that germinates easily in a tropical environment, warm and humid. 

The Pritchardia Palm is an architectural plant that will make a statement on a veranda, in a temperate greenhouse, or in a very bright and minimally heated room. It tolerates container cultivation well and can be taken out onto the patio or balcony from May to September. Like all palm trees, it is difficult to associate due to its strong personality: reserve a corner of a swimming pool or a prominent place on the patio, initially exposing it to partial shade to gradually acclimate it to the sun. Surround it with graphic and colourful  Phormium, precise and geometric Agaves, or perhaps Cordyline.