Red Latan Palm Tree, scientific name Latania lontaroides, is a large striking fan palm that is well-known for its stunning reddish color leaf stems. This attractive palm is very similar to the Blue Latan Palm Tree and the Bismarck Palm Tree. The Red Latan Palm Tree can also grow indoors.

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Red Latan Palm Tree Info

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Scientific name: Latania lontaroides or Latania lontarodes

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Common names: The Red Latan Palm is also known as Latania borbonica, Latania commersonii, and Latanier Rouge.

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Family: Arecaceae

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Origin: It is native to the island of Reunion where they are being threatened to extinction.

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Appearance: It has a single clean trunk, slightly swollen at the base. Trunk is smooth, woody, about 10 inches in diameter, lightly ringed by the scars from the fallen fronds.

Large, palmate, or fan-shaped, leaves create a rounded crown 15-20ft across. Stiff leaves are supported by large armed stems 4-5ft long. Young palms have reddish leaves, petiole, leaf margins, and veins, hence this palm’s common name Red Latan Palm. As they grow their leaves lose their color and turn green. Leafstems and the leave margins always stay red. The surface of each leaf is covered with a whitish, waxy deposit, providing a silvery appearance to the palm.

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Flowers/Fruits: During spring, the Red Latan Palm produces small yellow flowers that grow in clusters on 6ft long inflorescence that emerge from among the leaves. Red Latan Palm is dioecious, male and female flowers are born on separate plants. Flowers are followed by oval fruit. The fruit is brownish-green, fleshy, 2-3 inches long, with a single seed inside. The seed is round at one end but pointed at the other.

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Growth Rate: Slow.  Latania lontaroides is a slow-growing palm that can grow up to 30 – 40 ft tall with 15-20 ft wide spread.

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Outdoor/Indoor Use: Both.

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Cold Tolerance: The minimum temperature this palm tree can withstand when mature enough is 20F. It is great for growing in USDA Zones 9a (20 to 25 F) to 11 (above 40 F).

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Light Req: Partial shade to Full sun.

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Water Req: Moderate. It grows best in moist well-drained soil.

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Maintenance: Easy. To prevent nutritional deficiency, apply good quality palm fertilizer that has continuous release formula twice a year during the growing season.

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Propagation: Propagated by seed.