What kind of palm is this?

I just bought a house and there are palm trees in the backyard. It is my first time owning palm trees and I love them but I am scared about taking care of them. This one is the buggest and its bark is shedding. Does anyone know what kind of palm tree it is and should I help peel off the falling bark?

  9 answers
  • Dee Dee on May 24, 2020

    https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Borassus_flabellifer this article will tell you everything you need to know.

  • Dee provided an excellent site. I am in CA with palms, date palms, etc., in many places. Not hard to take care of, just get those dead palm fronds removed by an arborist or knowledgeable landscaper. When the wind blows hard, they fly about and can impale someone or some thing which can be really dangerous. In my neighborhood, depending on the type of palm, they are trimmed one or twice a year.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on May 24, 2020

    where do you live? This will make difference. looks like Mexican Fan Palm or California Fan Palm -- Both have large, dangerously sharp, strong hooks or teeth along the petioles but the Mexican Fan Palms have a reddish brown coloration at the base of the petioles that extends down most of the length of the petiole, while California Fan Palms have completely green petioles Petioles are palm frond stems -The petiole is the stem of a palm frond in between the trunk or leaf base and the start of the leaflets. Petioles vary greatly. Some characteristics include thorns, deep grooves, sharp edges, or smooth and round. It needs to be looked at by Professional Arborist (check with local county or botanical centers) to determine damage,and see if it is ok first. they are extremely hardy. I never clean/skin mine (remove dead fronds or strip the trunk), I leave it natural to let bugs and birds stay in it mine is massive too but it is not close to my house. I live in Az desert and Scorpions & Bees love these for food source as well as birds for nesting & eating insects and fruit it produces. They are messy I hand pull all new seedlings before they get 2 -4"s tall and they easily come right up. It really is a beautiful huge Palm.

    • See 1 previous
    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on May 24, 2020

      you can buy actual palm tree fertilizer I get mine at Lowes also check with local tree nursery for organic fertilizers. I use the Jobes products or products from Arbico Organics.com excellent products/company; I have friends in Dallas Humidity there sucks!

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on May 24, 2020

    Can you provide more pictures ..it is not easy to determine that from one picture

  • I always cut away the dead branches from the top of you can get to them. Or the can just suddenly fall.

  • Kat Kat on May 25, 2020

    I would suggest a good arborist. Your tree will be happy and so will you. I also think fan palm. I had them around my home in southern California, tree rats love them. A good reason to keep them in good shape. Lucky you, new garden to play with. Enjoy.

  • Peggy LW Dean Peggy LW Dean on May 25, 2020

    This is a fan palm and eventually will drop seeds so watch for little ones to sprout up. I took a sprout from my son's house and it has now turned into a beautiful tree. The dead/brown frawns/branches will fall in high winds so be sure to pick them up and dispose of properly. They have very sharp points along the branch.

  • Liesl Liesl on May 25, 2020

    Looks like a Mexican Fan Palm. You will end up with hundreds of seeds and then seedlings each year. I don't know how old they are before they set seed but mine are around 20-30 YO and if I didn't pull seedlings I'd have a palm forest. I live in NorCal inland and they are like weeds here.