The Fishtail palm is an attractive flowering plant with fishtail-shaped leaves. It belongs to the genus Caryota and is often called the Caryota palm. The scientific name for the Fishtail palm is Caryota. There are about 50 different forms of Fishtail palms and about 12 of them are well-known.

The Fishtail palms have bipinnate (twice-compound or twice-pinnate) leaves. It means that the palm’s pinnate fronds have the leaflets that are also pinnate. The Caryota palm is the only palm that has bipinnate leaves.

The Fishtail palm can be either solitary or clustering. The solitary species are Caryota ochlandra, Caryota rumphiana and Caryota gigas. The clustering species are Caryota monostachya and Caryota mitis.

The members of the genus Caryota are monocarpic plants.  It means that they flower only once in their lifetime, set seeds to start new generation and die. They flower from the top down. Their flowers are mop-like, come in elegant bundles. After the last flowering, the plant dies. The clumping species survive and will produce new stems.

The Fishtail palms are fast growing species. They prefer full sun, high humidity and rich fertilile soils. The exotic plants can be grown indoors in bright filtered light.

Caryotas are propagated by seeds and also by separation of suckers from parent clump (clustering species). The seeds can irritate the skin and should be handled with care. Germination takes place from 4 months to one year.

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