Chamaerops

Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae (palm family), comprising a single species Chamaerops humilis (European fan palm, Mediterranean dwarf palm or dwarf fan palm).

Distribution

It is one of only two palm species, along with Phoenix theophrasti, native to southern Europe. It is mainly found in southwestern Europe (Malta, Sicily, over all the Mediterranean coast of Spain and Portugal, central and southern Italy, some parts of the southern Mediterranean coast of France, as well as northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). It is the northernmost naturally occurring palm in the world, with the northernmost localities at Hyères-les-Palmiers, at 43° 07' N, and on the island of Capraia off the Italian coast, at 43° 04' N.

Description