Itaya Palm

Itaya Palm (Itaya amicorum) is a rare Amazonian fan palm, and one of the few genuinely uncommon palms available in Australia. It reaches about 5m tall and 3m wide in cultivation, carrying broad, deeply divided fans on a slender trunk, with silvery undersides that flash when the leaves move. For a collector after something nobody else on the street has, this is the one.

Why you'll love it

• Genuinely rare. Itaya is a single species genus from the western Amazon, seldom offered anywhere, so it is a real find rather than a common palm relabelled.
• Modest mature size. At around 5m it fits a courtyard or a garden bed, unlike the large feather palms that outgrow suburban blocks.
• Striking fan leaves. Wide, circular, deeply split fronds with pale silvery undersides give a bolder texture than the usual tropical planting.
• Copes with wet ground. It tolerates wet feet, which suits low spots and poolside beds where drainage is imperfect.

Where it works best

Feature planting. A single specimen in a tropical bed, lit from below at night, is the way to use it. The fan shape reads best with space around it and darker foliage behind.

Pots and containers. A large pot of 500mm or wider suits it for years, and container growing keeps it smaller and lets you place it under shelter in a marginal climate.

Sheltered courtyards. Walls that trap warmth and block wind suit an understorey palm, and the humidity of an enclosed courtyard is what it wants.

Growing Itaya Palm in Australia

Position and climate. Tropical and subtropical gardens only. As an Amazonian understorey palm it prefers filtered light or morning sun while young, taking more open sun with age in humid regions. It is frost tender, so any garden that gets frost will need it under cover.

Soil. Rich, deep soil with heavy organic matter, imitating a rainforest floor. It tolerates wet feet better than most palms, but it still performs best where water moves through rather than stagnates. Mulch 75mm deep, kept off the trunk.

Water and feed. Keep the moisture up year round. This is not a drought palm, and dry air or dry soil browns the frond tips quickly. Feed a slow release palm fertiliser in early spring and mid summer.

Pruning. Almost none. Remove only fully brown fronds, cutting close to the trunk. Never trim green leaves to tidy it, since a palm with few fronds slows down and shows stress in the next leaves it makes.

What to expect when it arrives

It is supplied in a 300mm pot, which is a juvenile palm with several fans and no visible trunk yet. Palms of this type are slow to trunk, so expect a low, spreading rosette for the first few years before height starts to build.

Some tip browning after transit is normal on a humidity loving palm and is not a fault. Plant it, water it in, and keep it sheltered and damp for the first month. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to palm tree varieties
• Browse the full palm range
• Exotic and rare plants
• Tropical garden plants for warm climates

Common questions

How big will it actually get?

About 5m tall and 3m wide in a garden. Older records suggesting 12m come from wild rainforest plants competing for light, not from cultivated specimens.

Can I grow it outside the tropics?

Only in a frost free subtropical garden, or in a pot you can move under cover. It is frost tender and needs humidity, so cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens are not suitable.

Why are the frond tips going brown?

Almost always dry air or dry soil. Increase watering, mulch well, and move it out of drying wind. Salt build up from fertiliser in a pot can do the same, so flush the pot occasionally.

How fast does it grow?

Slowly to moderately, even in ideal conditions. Buy it for the rarity and the leaf shape rather than expecting quick height.