Chamaerops humilis L.
Eng.: European fan palm, Mediterranean dwarf palm. Spa.: Palmito. Fre.: Palmier nain, palmier doum. Ara.: Dum, eddum, ghaz, jemmar, arhaz, azef, jmark, iguezdim, tammwit, ibusmen, inesli, (the fruit): r’az. Tam.: Tigeztemt, tezzomt, usser, igezdem, tiznirt, afedduz, aseddir; the fruit: taddakt.
Small evergreen, dioecious tree, which in good soil usually reaches up to 10 m in height. However, it most commonly grows as a shrub or shrublet of up to 2 m due to frequent fires and logging or the poor quality of the substrate on which it grows. Straight, fibrous trunk, covered with blackened remains of the base of the old leaves as the leaves fell. Trunk usually not seen, because being small specimens, the trunk is hidden by hanging leaves and the erect leaves from new shoots that grow all around. Leaves very large (up to 100 cm long), with a fan-shaped leaf blade, almost circular, with ribbed fibrous segments ending in a tip that deteriorates and “frays” easily. Petiole lignified, with strong lateral spines. Inflorescences paniculiform, (5)10-20(40) cm long, with unisexual flowers, with flowers of only one sex in each plant. Flowers small, calyx of 3 linear-lanceolate sepals and 3 oval petals, concave, much longer than the calyx. Male flowers yellow, with 6 stamens. Female flowers green, with the pistil consisting of 3 carpels, of which 2 will abort and the 3rd will give rise to the fruit. Fruit a subglobose to ovate-oblong drupe, first yellowish, then reddish-brown when ripe.
Flowering:
March to May.
Fruiting:
September to November.
Habitat:
On all types of terrain, even on bare rock, in hot, warm or cool environments and semiarid to subhumid ombroclimate.
Distribution:
Western Mediterranean region. In North Africa it is widespread in the coastal and sublittoral region of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, reaching towards the S to the Moroccan Atlantic plains, up to Agadir and, towards the E up to NW Libya. It seems missing from the Saharan Atlas. It has traditionally been cited in NE Libya, but its presence here seems doubtful, at least in present times.
Conservation status:
This species has never been considered threatened but nowadays its populations are suffering from the attack of a weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) native to SE Asia. Yet another example of problems caused by the trade in exotic species. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species it is not assessed currently at a global level.