The palm tree with leaves resemble fishtails grows commonly in warm mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climates. The Fishtail palm is also often grown as an interior plant.

The Fishtail palm is one of the most exotic and interesting  Florida palm trees.

Additional Information:

Scientific name: Caryota Mitis

Family: Arecaceae

Genus: Caryota

Name: It is called the Fishtail palm because of the shape of its leaves. They are shaped like fishes tails.

Other names: Clustering fishtail palm, Burmese fishtail palm

Origin: It is native to Southern Asia.

Growth rate: Fast

Trunk: The Fishtail palm has multi stems that grow up to 20-25 feet tall.

Leaves: The leaves are bipinnate, strongly arching, triangular, light or dark green in color.

Indoor/Outdoor Use: Both

Maintenance: Low

Light exposure: It prefers light shade at early age and likes full sun when adult.

Water requirements: It requires regular watering.

Drought toleration: It is moderate drought tolerant. The palm is native to tropical rain forests and likes water.

Cold toleration: It is moderate cold tolerant. It shouldn’t take temperature below of 28 F.

Flowers: The flowers are green, unisexual, male and female flowers on the same plant. They grow in long pendulous stalks that come from the top and moving progressively down the stem. After the last flowering the flowering stem will die, other clumps will survive and produce new stems.

Fruits: The round, red to black fruits contain oxalic acid that is toxic if ingested. The juice can burn the skin. The seeds are edible.

Propagation: It is propagated by seeds or by separation of stems from parent clump. The seeds germinate easily within 3-6 months.

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