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Which palm species grows farthest south?
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Palm
Wild acai palms (Euterpe oleracea) growing on Combu Island in Belem, state of Para in Brazil.
The palm species that grows farthest south is the nikau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida), which is native to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands.1
While palms are primarily distributed within tropical and subtropical regions, the nikau palm represents the southernmost limit of the family's natural range. In contrast, the northernmost palm is the European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), found in the Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa.12