How Long Does It Take to Grow an American Fan Palm?

Growth Designation

• This palm has a moderate height growth rate, meaning that it grows 13 to 24 inches per year. Slow-growing tree varieties accumulate 12 inches or less annually, while a tree that exhibits fast growth increases its height by more than 25 inches each year. As a tree with a moderate growth rate, fan palms reach their mature height of 30 to 40 feet in 10 to 20 years, depending on weather and soil conditions.

Growth Assistance

• Fan palms grow faster and larger under certain conditions. These trees need plenty of sunlight and do not thrive in cloudy or rainy climates. The roots of the fan palm thrive in soil that consists of clay, sand or loam. The best soil composition is acidic and alkaline without standing water, which can rot the trunk or roots. Fan palms tolerate moderate amounts of salt in the water that their roots absorb.

Statistics

• A mature fan palm has a rough, gray trunk that can grow to 3 feet wide. These trees produce about 30 fanned leaves that are about 6 inches wide. They range in color from gray to green and give this plant its unique crowned look. Hooked thorns in the stems protect the leaves of adult palms. Unless pruned, old leaves sink to the ground and form a gray skirt around the trunk.

Fruit

• While many palm trees bear coconuts, the fan palm boasts an array of white and yellow flowers that crown the leaves at the top of the trunk. These blossoms produce small oval or rounded fruit with a deep red shade measuring only 1/2-inch wide. Each piece of fruit contains one seed that germinates in the soil when it falls, sparking the growth of a new fan palm.