Fan palm ID request (rare Hawaiian palm)

[Sean Osborne]

I think this is native to Kauai, the leaves are huge (over 5 feet across) and the tree has no trunk at all. Shade lover.

Any idea who this is? I have a second one that needs rescuing.

[Husain]

Looks like Sabal Yapa 

[kylecawazafla]

This was my immediate thought as well, however there isn't a good photo of the entire leaf so I doubted myself.  An overall photo of the entire palm tree would be good giveaway. 

[Sean Osborne]

@Husain @kylecawazafla

I'm not convinced, the pics I'm seeing of Sabal yapa online have some in full sunlight. I have two of these palms, one in fairly deep shade, maybe 1/2 hour dappled sunlight a day, and one that gets 2-4 hours of sun a day. The one in the shade is flourishing, but the one that gets some sun is dying, it's had one leaf only for over a year now. It's not a matter of water or nutrients.

Edit: I just read this in a description: "To ensure a happy, healthy Sabal yapa, ensure it receives full sun, along with regular water. "

This cannot be the same tree, not with those sun requirements.

I was told by a friend that its native to Hawaii, but she could not remember the name. She says it's not a palmetto, it never develops a trunk.

Here's an attempt at some whole tree photos, it's in a pretty overgrown area:
 

[realarch]

Your palm is not a Pritchardia. I’ll leave it to others to determine if it’s a Sabal or not.

Tim

[aabell]

I agree with Sabal yapa

[Husain]

8 hours ago, Sean Osborne said:

@Husain @kylecawazafla

I'm not convinced, the pics I'm seeing of Sabal yapa online have some in full sunlight. I have two of these palms, one in fairly deep shade, maybe 1/2 hour dappled sunlight a day, and one that gets 2-4 hours of sun a day. The one in the shade is flourishing, but the one that gets some sun is dying, it's had one leaf only for over a year now. It's not a matter of water or nutrients.

Edit: I just read this in a description: "To ensure a happy, healthy Sabal yapa, ensure it receives full sun, along with regular water. "

This cannot be the same tree, not with those sun requirements.

I was told by a friend that its native to Hawaii, but she could not remember the name. She says it's not a palmetto, it never develops a trunk.

Here's an attempt at some whole tree photos, it's in a pretty overgrown area:
 

I have several Yapa and in shade also which is healthy 

 

the one you are showing is definitely a Yapa 

[Jim in Los Altos]

Definitely not Pritchardia so it can’t be native to the islands. I agree with Sabal yapa. If you ever read that a particular palm species requires full sun to be healthy, take it with a grain of salt. Dozens of my “full sun required” palms are in full shade and are perfectly happy. Many even look better in full shade than in the sun. 

[tim_brissy_13]

40 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Definitely not Pritchardia so it can’t be native to the islands. I agree with Sabal yapa. If you ever read that a particular palm species requires full sun to be healthy, take it with a grain of salt. Dozens of my “full sun required” palms are in full shade and are perfectly happy. Many even look better in full shade than in the sun. 

It’s a really good point Jim that I can’t remember seeing on here but I fully agree. Especially in temperate climates. Sometimes the only sacrifice when putting a ‘full sun’ palm is shade is a bit of growth rate, but I’ve noticed the same that shade or filtered light grown palms are often healthier than those in full sun. May have something to do with our occasional 44C/110F days with northerly winds in summer though!

 

For what it’s worth I agree with the above. Definitely not Pritchardia and definitely Sabal. I’d stop short of saying 100% S yapa but it would be my best guess even without the influence of others. 

[kylecawazafla]

It looks like a Sabal, however the fronds lack the classic costapalmate recurvation typical of Sabal. I wouldn't say not being full sun is a "rule out" for these species. I have seen Sabal yapa in their habitat in the Yucatan and the seedlings emerge from beneath a dense canopy in deep shade, many times. Now that I can see the entire palm, however, it looks more like Chelyocarpus ulei. If this is in Santa Barbara, I believe that would be a more likely option.