Mountain Fish Tail Palm

The mountain fishtail palm, *Caryota maxima*, is a very large, solitary palm with long, jagged leaflets that hang from its crown. Plants of the World Online treats this name as a synonym of *Caryota urens*, while the [Flora of China account](https://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=250095631) describes *Caryota maxima* separately. ## Form and habitat The Flora of China treatment describes a columnar trunk reaching 30 m, large leaves carried along the upper half of the stem, and long inflorescences borne among the leaves. It places the palm in lowland to montane rain forests and disturbed areas, sometimes planted or naturalized, across southern China and tropical Asia. The [Royal Horticultural Society profile](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/207876/caryota-maxima/details) describes Caryota palms as evergreen, with large divided leaves and summer flower panicles. ## Maintenance Allow generous room for the mature trunk, crown, and long hanging flower clusters, and use this palm only where a tropical or protected warm-climate planting is appropriate. Avoid crowding it against buildings or overhead wires. The name *Caryota maxima* remains in regional botanical treatments even though Kew's [current Plants of the World Online backbone](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:665614-1) places it under *C. urens*.