Outdoor verdict
Chinese fan palm lives outside only in a mild winter, about 22F (USDA 9a+). A real freeze marks it. Young plants can wait in a pot. A mature one wants the ground only if the winter clears that number.
The fountain-shaped Chinese fan palm. USDA 9a to 11, drooping green fans, and a name often mixed up with windmill palm.
Cold hardiness
Survives about 22°F / -6°C. Outdoor range USDA 9a–11b. Hover or click a zone, state, or country. Click a state to open palms that grow there.
Highlighted USDA zones 9a–11b. Green countries can be grown outdoors.
United States
In range Too cold
World
Native Can be grown
Alaska and Hawaii are state outlines with their overall zone range. A country is painted if its mildest inhabited winter is at least one USDA step milder than this palm’s hardiness.
What it is confused with
Nurseries often mix this up with Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). Check the Latin on the tag.
Winter care
Drainage matters more than a blanket. Soil: Any well-drained soil. Water: Moist but never waterlogged (mesic). Wrapping does not buy an extra zone. If the winter is colder than the kill number, keep it in a pot.
Scientific facts
- Nurseries also call windmill palm a Chinese fan palm. Check the Latin. Windmill is Trachycarpus fortunei.
- Leaf tips hang, which is why people say fountain palm.
- Young plants are common in pots. They want to be trees.
Region of origin
Southern Japan to Guangdong, China
Native countries
Historical discovery
Nikolaus Jacquin published Latania chinensis. Robert Brown and Carl Martius placed it in Livistona in 1838.
Names
Common names
Chinese fan palm, Fountain palm
Synonyms
- Latania chinensis Jacq.
Full care guide
The Chinese fan palm is the fountain-shaped Livistona, not the hairy windmill palm that shares a nickname. Native from southern Japan to Guangdong. USDA 9a to 11. Damage around 22°F (-6°C). If the tag says Chinese fan, read the Latin before you buy cold hardiness.
Growth Rate:
Moderate. Faster in frost-free heat with water.
Fruit and Flowering:
Blue-green to blue-black fruit. Attractive, then messy.
Light Requirements:
Full sun to light shade. Young plants like a little afternoon shade inland.
Water Requirements:
Regular water to establish. Mature trees take short dry spells.
Maintenance Level:
Medium. Old fans are heavy. Feed in the growing season with palm-specific fertilizer. Keep the Latin name on your records so you do not prune it like a windmill in zone 8.
Common Diseases/Pests:
Scale, weevils on stressed transplants, and nutrient issues in sand. Leaf spotting in still, wet shade.
Plant Care:
Sun, drainage, zone 9 or warmer. If you need zone 8, buy Trachycarpus fortunei and ignore the shared nickname.
Chinese fan palm Frequently Asked Questions:
Chinese fan palm questions
Will Chinese fan palm live outside?
Yes, if winter stays above about 22F (USDA 9a+). Below that number it belongs in a pot.
What do nurseries mislabel Chinese fan palm as?
People tag it as Chinese windmill palm. That plant is Trachycarpus fortunei. Check the Latin.
Pot or ground for Chinese fan palm in a cold state?
Start it in a pot if you want. The ground is fine only where winter stays above about 22F.
Chinese fan or windmill?
Livistona chinensis is this fountain palm. Trachycarpus fortunei is the hairy, hardier windmill. Both get sold as Chinese fan. Trust the Latin.
Good indoor palm?
As a juvenile in bright light. Plan an outdoor life in a frost-mild climate.
How fast does it grow?
Moderate. Not a queen palm, not a kentia crawl.
Related palms
The mix-up, the substitute, then nearby hardiness.
