Licuala grandis

Natural range and habitat of Licuala grandis

Licuala grandis occurs naturally from the Santa Cruz Islands to Vanuatu in the south-western Pacific. It grows in wet tropical forest, where the palm develops beneath a sheltered canopy in humid air and filtered light.

Growing Licuala grandis indoors

• Light: Give bright filtered light or light shade, with less direct sun during the hottest part of the day.
• Position: Leave enough room around the crown for the wide fans to open freely.
• Temperature: Keep temperatures steady around 16–27 °C and avoid prolonged temperatures below 16 °C.
• Humidity: Aim for 60–80% humidity with gentle airflow, especially while a new fan is opening.
• Water: Water when the surface of the mix begins to dry while the root ball still feels lightly moist. Let excess water drain fully.
• Potting mix: Use an airy mix that holds some moisture and drains freely.
• Feeding: Apply a dilute balanced fertiliser while new leaves are developing.
• Repotting: Repot when roots fill the container or water begins to drain much more slowly through the old mix.
• Propagation: Grow the species from seed.

Problems affecting Licuala grandis leaves and roots

• Brown, crisp leaf edges: Dry air, uneven watering or mineral build-up may be involved. Keep watering and humidity more consistent, then check whether hard or mineral-rich water is contributing if new leaves develop the same damage.
• Yellow leaves with persistently wet substrate: The roots may be staying too wet. Empty trapped water, check the drainage holes and let the mix dry slightly before watering again.
• Pale or dry patches: Strong direct sun may have scorched the leaf. Move the palm into gentler filtered light.
• Sticky leaves, shell-like bumps or cottony deposits: Check for scale or mealybugs. Isolate the plant when pests are confirmed and use a treatment labelled for the identified pest at the stated repeat interval.

Keep Licuala grandis away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

Licuala grandis: name and meaning

Licuala comes from the Makassar palm name leko wala. The Latin epithet grandis means large or grand.

Friedrich von Wurmb established the genus Licuala in 1780 in Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, volume 2, page 469.

Thomas Moore first described it as Pritchardia grandis in 1874 in Gardeners’ Chronicle, new series, volume 1, page 92. Hermann Wendland later placed it in Licuala as Licuala grandis in 1880 in L’Illustration Horticole, volume 27, plate 412.