Ginkgo biloba's fan-shaped leaves turn golden in autumn.
A large diversity of trees have fan-shaped leaves and small fruit. Some of those trees are deciduous and shed their leaves every season, while others are evergreen and keep their display yearlong. Fan-shaped leaves are architecturally pleasing to the eye and introduce new curves and angles to landscapes, porches and indoor settings.
Maidenhair Tree
Fan-shaped leaves of Gingko have two lobes.
Native to China, the Maidenhair tree, also known as Ginkgo biloba, is called a "living fossil" because it is the only member left in a family of trees that was widespread 160 million years ago. Its leaves are fan-shaped and composed of two lobes (biloba) that form a split in the middle of the leaf. Ginkgo is a dioecious tree, which means that female and male flowers are housed on separate trees. On female Ginkgo trees, oval-shaped, golden-colored fruits ripen in September. The fruits may look attractive but have a surprisingly putrid odor made worse when fallen fruits turn soft and mushy. For this reason, male Ginkgo trees are preferred in landscapes.
Cabbage Palm
A cabbage palm leaf shows fanlike extensions of leaf segments.
Cabbage palm, or Sabal palmetto, is the state tree of South Carolina and Florida and embellishes landscapes throughout the southeastern United States. This palm has a costapalmate leaf arrangement, meaning the leaf segments fan from the midrib in a radial pattern. In 1990, scientists in Florida discovered the fossilized remains of a complete sabal leaf that dated to 16 to 18 million years ago. White flowers of the cabbage palm sweeten the air in summer, and small black fruits ripen in autumn.
Chinese Fan Palm
The Chinese fan palm, or Livistona chinensis, is a popular container plant that often decorates porches and indoor settings. It has even become a common sight in shopping malls. This palm can survive outdoors in warm climates, such as in Texas, Florida and parts of California. Its fan-shaped leaves are prominent, growing to a diameter of 5 feet, and divided by many segments that droop, resembling a fountain. Its white flowers are subtle, and its small fruits are dark blue.
Hawaiian Fan Palm
The Hawaiian fan palm, or Pritchardia maideniana, is a popular tree in landscapes in Hawaii. Like the cabbage palm and Chinese fan palm, it is a member of the palm family, Arecaceae. Its fan-shaped leaves range from a green to yellow color and are used for making hats. The tree's small fruits are black. Wild populations of the Hawaiian fan palm are rare and threatened by land development, weed encroachment and animal grazing.
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