Friday, November 29, 2013

Licuala Grandis - Ruffled Fan Palm

Licuala Grandis, is commonly known as the Ruffled Fan Palm. It can be grown indoors in containers or outdoors, preferably under partial shade. Its large circular leaves are regularly pleated and shiny. 

Thorns are found on the basal end of the leaf stalks.

 

Long heavy bunches of fruits are produced continuously.
With it's magnificient fan-like fronds, the Licuala grandis is a truly out-of-the ordinary palm.

 
Two branches of unripe green berries are straddled with fallen pine needles from the pine tree towering above.
 
 Though these  Licuala Grandis are beneath a huge Norfolk Island Pine, they thrive very well as they get filtered sunlight from the side.



The leaf fan out into a jagged edge.

A common garden snail unceremoniously extruded its bodily rejects on to a bougainvillea stem.



 
A prey in the throes of death as this tiny spider viciously dismembered it.

On another frond, an unidentified critter was basking in the sun, blissfully unawared of the carnage nearby

 
An empty triple nest of the potter wasp was attached on the under side of the leaf.

Although this Ruffled Fan Palm was planted from a small seedling in this small container, it grew into a lush specimen.

 
Many years ago, I started with just this solitary plant, but over the years, ...


 it had spawned many other plants from the fallen fruits.



22 comments:

  1. Piękna roślina, a czerwone owoce dodatkowo ją zdobią. Owadom też się podoba, ale szkoda, że ją uszkadzają . Pozdrawiam.
    Beautiful plant, and red fruits adorn it further. Insects like it too, but I wish that it damaged. Yours.

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    1. The red fruits are attractive and stay on the bunch for a while. Its a pity that they are not edible.

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  2. Fans of marvelous beauty, beautiful colors, greet

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    1. Some people use them as fans. Florists use them as part of their floral arrangement.

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  3. What a fantastic plant. So tropical and so different from anything that grows over here. That's an amazing little spider. It looks like a kid has drawn an owl on its back!!

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    1. Hi Nick, you are imaginative! I'm beginning to see it the way you do. Hotels over here like to have them in the lobby or at the entrance as ornamental plants. Also frequently seen on sides of roads.

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  4. You are so lucky to have them self-seed. I would love to have just one of these beautiful palms in my garden.

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    1. How I wish I can send one to you without all the transport and red tape issues. I actually have to cull the numerous seedlings that sprout everywhere on my lawn.

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  5. It is a fabulous looking Palm with those ruffled fronds. That little spider has the most brilliant markings.

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    1. Its hardy and ornamental. I think it will thrive well in Australia.
      The tiny spider is prettily tarted up but its looks belie the viciousness at which it savaged the poor fly.

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  6. Replies
    1. Hi Ela, thank you . Its nice of you to drop by.

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  7. Pretty palm, Elsie! I liked its shaped leaves, they look like umbrellas actually. Its fruit are colorful and tasty for insects and animals, aren't they?

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    1. I'm sure they are tasty to the birds but I've not had the guts to experiment on them myself :0

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  8. I'm not sure whether if it is true.
    I thought it was also known as Palas.
    Love those red berry like fruits - very timely for Christmas decor.

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    1. I'm very much aware of this alternative name, but since I don't hear it commonly used here, I decided to omit it.

      The red berries are on the tree almost year round, so I don't feel its association with Christmas. However, now that you mentioned it, I'm now looking at it in a different light.

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  9. The fruits look like grapes! Such a beautiful fan palm! You have many creatures in your garden! ;)

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    1. Oh how I wish that they were grapes so that I can have so much to eat instead of leaving them to waste. The seedlings would be culled anyway.

      My garden is almost like a veritable jungle and that's why there are so many critters around. It's their battle ground, site of fiestas, courting rituals, nesting and leisure activities.

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  10. Yes that palm is lovely, but i don't plant it because of the tendency to be invasive, now look at yours they are spreading everywhere! I smiled at the snail, it took a long walk up that trunk, and you are so observant in finding those inhabitants, they are so small. By the way, i hope you don't mind, Sci names are written with capital letter for Genus and small letter in species, e.g. Licuala grandis. I've already told a few Malaysians about it, haha!

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    1. With its massive bunches of fruits, its truly invasive, but I'm not complaining as I have selected some strong ones and have them as potted plants to bring indoors.

      Thanks for pointing out and I'm well aware of this nomenclature. In most of my posts I have the names in the correct big and small caps, however in this post the "Grandis" must have prompted me to use big caps! Sorry for ruffling your feathers, haha.

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  11. you have an eye for interesting beauty!

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