A fan palm tree is a descriptive term that refers to a group of palms with fan palm leaves (rather than pinnate leaves). The most common fan palm trees are Sabal palm, Lady palm, Needle Palm, Thatch palm, Mexican Fan Palm, California Fan Palm and others.

The fan palm trees usually grow in tropical and subtropical locations, and some can be planted in cold-climate areas (Windmill palm, Needle palm, Dwarf Palmetto, Saw Palmetto). Most of them  have a solitary trunk, but some grow in clumps (Mediterranean fan palm). Several types of fan palm trees can be used as house trees (Lady palm, Mediterranean palm).

Despite the different varieties, all fan palm trees have a unique characteristic - their leaves. A fan palm leaf (palmately compound leaf) is a leaf in which all the segments (leaflets) grow from a single point at the end of the petiole (rather that pinnate leaves which grow from several places along the stalk). All segments (leaflets) radiate out from one point like a fingers from a hand. They also have numerous sharp spines produced on the leaf stems to protect them from hungry animals.

The fan palm leaf can be palmate or costapalmate. In the costapamate leaf the extension of the petiole (leaf stem) extends into the leaf blade. This extension is called the costa. Many fan palm trees have a hastula - a small and thin tissue located at the point where the petiole (leaf stem) meets the blade.

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