Another fan palm ID

[Kumar]

Here is another fan palm, again a livistona spp probably but the petioles are completely smooth and lack spines throughout. Any ideas ?

Edited October 8, 2010 by Kumar83

[Kumar]

I am bringing this to the forefront - for the benefit of anyone who has not yet seen the photo.

[Luisd]

Looks like a small L.chinensis.

Luis

[hanapalms]

The leaf shape is similar to L.saribus I have about that size, but there are no thorns. Why is that? Livistonas have thorns!

[ariscott]

Livistona robinsoniana?? The only one that I know that doesn't have thorns...

Regards, Ari

[Kumar]

The leaf shape is similar to L.saribus I have about that size, but there are no thorns. Why is that? Livistonas have thorns!

Exactly! This potted specimen belongs to my aunt who has kindly offered to give it away to me and given me two weeks to make up my mind, but I don't want to take it if it is another L. rotundifolia of the sort which I recently acquired (posted on http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=25494)

[paulgila]

i think i see small thorns on the dead leaf base in the 1st pic plus i believe that the simplest ID is most often coorect("aachems razor").

do you really think your aunt would have a palm that is more interesting/unusual than the typical thing,i.e. l.chinensis?

[PalmTom]

I agree with Ari. probably L. robinsoniana.

Tom

[Kumar]

i think i see small thorns on the dead leaf base in the 1st pic plus i believe that the simplest ID is most often coorect("aachems razor").

do you really think your aunt would have a palm that is more interesting/unusual than the typical thing,i.e. l.chinensis?

Logically, no - but over here most plant purchases are from tiny stalls and nurseries where there is no track of particular species and scope for contamination is high. Fine differences between different livistona's are unlikely to be noticed if at all. She's not a palm collector and probably bought it without realising what it was.

Re the spines, I can confirm I have run my fingers over the petioles in the green leaves and have felt nothing.