Museo dell'intreccio mediterraneo di Castelsardo

DWARF PALM (Chamaerops Humilis L.)

Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the Arecaceae family (palm family), comprising a single species and is typical of the Mediterranean area. It is an evergreen shrub that normally reaches a height of up to 2 meters, with a spongy stem, usually short and very strong. It grows in warm coastal areas, especially in Alghero and Castelsardo, and is one of the finest and most widely used materials in basketmaking. The palmate leaves, long, rigid, thin and flexible, are ideal for this use because they lend themselves well to the making of various artifacts. Among the artifacts made using dwarf palm are breadbaskets, baskets, sieves and strainers indicated by their various local names (paneri, canistreddas, crobeccada, corvulas, culboni, ipusthini with the Sardinian nomenclature and colbuli, caneltri, caneltreddi). Also mats, brooms, nets, hats, chair caning and mattress stuffing. The dwarf palm is now a protected species, as is sea hay, and cannot be freely harvested and used for making crafts.