Although commonly called the Fiji Fan Palm, this species probably originated in Tonga and was introduced into Fiji very early on. It is very handsome fan palm which is associated with many islands of the Pacific and is now widely cultivated in tropical and, to a lesser extent, subtropical regions

It is an excellent palm for coastal districts and lend itself well to group planting. The leaves on young plants ar especially impressive, the lades being up to 1.8 Meter long and nearly as wide, deeply pleted and with a brown, hairy surface when young

Clusters of small, round black fruit are carried within the crown. The plants may grown to about 9 meter tall but are generally rather slow growing even in the tropics. They need very well-drained soil and some protection when small. In Fiji, the leaves of this palm were once made into fans which were for the exclusive use of the chiefs.