Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F
I agree, John. With the thicker trunk, it looks more like the Mexican Fan Palm.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F
After looking at the picture it's still hard to say, but the thicker trunk makes me think it's a Mexican fan palm. These trees are quite drought tolerant when established and prefer a well-drained soil. If yours has been slow to grow it could be due to too much moisture? Dig a smal hole 6 inches deep or so a little ways out from the trunk to check for soil moisture. Fill the hole with water to see how long it takes to drain. If more than a 6 hours it's not draining good and steps might need to be taken to improve drainage, or the tree might have to be replanted at a higher level or relocated.

Fertilization and pruning are also very important. Wait to remove fans/fronds until they are completely dead. Fertilize with a specialty Palm Food. Your local nursery and garden center should have it in stock or be able to order it for you.

Rafael Flores · Gardenality Stem · Zone 9B · 25° to 30° F
This Palm, along with other drought resistant plants are located in an area that hardly ever gets watered. The dirt is a weird, super, super hard type of clay I'm told. To give you an idea as to how hard it is, I have to water the ground several times before using a pick and it only penetrates about 1-2 inches and I have to water again and again. I have been in this house two years and it sat empty for a year. All of these trees and plants were here already when I bought it. I'll try that fertilizer you mentioned. Thanks.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F
Sounds like that hard clay could be impeding normal growth? I'm not a palm pro, but we have clay soil where I'm at in Georgia and I always dig as large a hole as possible when planting a palm and add sand and gravel to the soil mix to provide good drainage. You might want to add some copious amounts of gypsum to try to soften the clay.