Eek. I've been looking around on the web, but since I don't have a clue what it is, it's kinda hard to find a picture of it and know what species it is, you know? So...

There's a plant we've had for quite some time- my mother's cleaning lady from when she was a kid gave it to us, but we've never had a clue what it is. I think it might be a fern of some sort, but I'm not sure.

It is a large plant. It has a main trunk which is kind-of like that of a foxtail palm-tree, or even a coconut, I can't think how to express it any better- and then it has these long stems. I think usually three to five at a time. At the end of the stems are large, broad leaves that are kinda like maple leaves, except they're dark green, about the size of my head , and aren't pointy but rounded. (They also have a lot more little prongs, or whatever you call them.)

The trunk on ours is pretty darned short, but we're not very good at taking care of it. The other day, though, I think I saw another plant of the same species in a hotel, and it had a very, very long trunk- and was in an enourmous pot. If it's the same kind of plant, I'm guessing ours could grow to be a lot bigger and healthier if we knew more about it!

Thanks for your time.

Well, it certainly sounds interesting! Any chance you could post a picture of it?

Check in the philodendron family. Some of them have big leaves.

Could it be some variety of a banana tree?

Where was your mother's cleaning lady from?

- Relative Newbie (whose parents have a small banana tree) (everything fits except the 'lots of little pointy things).