Licuala Species, Malesiana Palm

This is one of the most beautiful of the Licualas (there are about 40 species of this genus, with more being discovered every year). Thi...Read Mores one is commonly grown in botanic gardens throughout Asia as a landscape plant for shady areas. It is native to Sarawak (part of Bornea island) where it grows in the understory of the rainforest there. I actually got lucky enough to see several of these while there a few years ago. The leaves of this palm are a perfect, finely pleated circle without any splits save one. The leaves are also very shiny. The whole appearance looks more like a plastic geometric construction than something nature would produce- incredible.