In the summer morning light, lovely European fan palm foliage glows. The leaves have petioles that are armed with sharp, needle-like spines; these may protect the stem growing point from browsing animals.

            Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. It contains only one species, Chamaerops humilis, variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates.
Chamaerops humilis is a shrub-like clumping palm, with several stems growing from a single base. It has an underground rhizome which produces shoots with palmate, sclerophyllous leaves.
The stems grow slowly and often tightly together, eventually reaching 2–5 m (10–20 ft) tall with a trunk diameter of 20–25 cm (8–10 in). It is a fan palm (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae), and as such, has leaves with petioles terminating in rounded fans of 10–20 leaflets. Each leaf is up to 1.5 m (5 ft) long, with leaflets 50–80 cm (20–30 in) long. The petioles are armed with numerous sharp, needle-like spines; these may protect the stem growing point from browsing animals.
The flowers are borne in dense, short inflorescences at the tops of the stems. The plants usually, but not invariably, are dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants. The prophyll covers the flowers on the inflorescence until the sexual phase (anthesis) and then splits open apically into two triangular lobes. The number of flowers per inflorescence is highly variable for both male and female plants, depending on the size of the inflorescence. Female flowers are tri-ovulate.[8] Unripe fruits are bright green, turning to dull yellow to brown as they ripen during autumn (September–November). The seed (usually 0.6–0.8 g or 1⁄50–3⁄100 oz) contains a small cylindrical embryo, which is surrounded by several layers.
Apart from its material benefits, this palmetto is of emotional value as a charismatic component of the "garrigues" and "macchias" of the Mediterranean coastline.
The leaves of the adult plants have been used to make brooms and for weaving mats, carrier baskets, and similar articles. For finer work the young, unopened leaves are treated with sulphur to soften them and provide supple fibre.
The husk, known in southern Spain as "higa", is edible before it becomes too tough to eat as it matures. Because of their bitterness and high tannin content, the fruit are not used for human food, but in traditional medicine they have been used as an astringent. R_23954
   

Taken in: Australia / New South Wales / Woolloomooloo (show map)

Taken on: December 3, 2022

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Sets appears in: • summer • 2022 more » • canon R6 • canon RF100-500L • palm « less

Groups appears in: • Canon R6 • Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM (No 30/60 Limit)

Camera: Canon EOS R6, f/7.1, 1/80 sec, 100mm, ISO 320 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R6
Lens:	RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	100mm
ISO:	320
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 12.0.1 (Windows)
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