Stately and distinctive, the California fan palm is one of the most widely grown palms in subtropical climates. California fan palm can grow 60 ft (18.3 m) tall with a crown spread of 15 ft (4.6 m). The massive gray trunk is barrel shaped and ringed with old leaf scars, and may reach over 3 ft (0.9 m) in diameter at its widest point. California fan palm can have up to thirty gray-green palmate (fan-shaped) leaves, each 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m) across. They spread out to form a loose and open crown. The petioles (leaf stems) of mature palms are armed along the margins with curved thorns; those of young palms are largely unarmed. The individual leaflets are pendulous and swing freely in the wind. Abundant cotton-like threads on and between the leaflets persist even when the palm is mature. If old leaves are not removed, they form a continuous "petticoat" from the crown all the way to the ground. The California fan palm produces numerous branching flower clusters that project out and often downward from the leaf crown. The bisexual blossoms are white and yellow and give rise to oblong or round red-black fruit, each about a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in diameter. The fruits of California fan palm contain a single seed, approximately 1/4 in (0.6 cm) in diameter.
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The Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta) and the California fan palm are closely related and quite similar. They differ in subtle characteristics, and even palm experts have trouble telling them apart.
An amazing palm to say the least. The California Fan Palm line up mansions all the way from Florida to the Hills of California. These Beautiful stately palms are tolerant of almost everything you can throw at them. They are cold tolerant, drought tolerant, wind resistant, and midly salt tolerant. Overall these palms are great landscape palms and can adorn any typ of office or home.
The only con of the California Fan Palm is its petticoat that it developes after new growth emerges and old fronds die. The leaves remain on the trunk unless removed. Some people are partial to the look of the skirt of leaves as am I. With the skirt on they create a new unique flavor the the area it was planted. I would only recommend leaving the skirt on if there is enough room where it is planted where it does not obstruct the view of any way or get in the way of walking.
Fan palms provide a habitat for Bighorn Sheep, Hooded Oriole, Gambel's Quail, Coyotes, and the palm boring beetle Dinapate wrightii (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), and a rare bat species, Lasiurus xanthinus is especially fond of W. filifera groves. Hooded Orioles rely on the trees for food and places to build nests. Both Hooded Orioles and coyotes play an integral part in seed distribution.
Dinapate beetles can be problematic and chew through the trunks of the trees. Eventually a continued infestation of beetles can kill a palm, opening up space for a new palm to grow.
Today due to urbanization, palm oases are disappearing. Increased agriculture has lowered ground water supplies which decreases the amount of water available in palm oases. This creates a threat not only to the far western United State's only native palm, but also all the organisms which rely on these trees in order to survive.
Fossils of this palm are known to exist as far north as Colorado, Wyoming and Oregon. The palm apparently reached its current form by at least 50 - 70 million years BP.
Natural oases environments are mainly restricted historically to the area surrounding warm or hot springs, near the source, or shortly downstream from the source.
Grazing animals including deer and cattle and in more ancient times, Giant Sloths and other extinct herbivores, can kill young plants through trampling, or by eating the terminus at the apical meristem, which is the growing portion of the plant.
This may have kept these palms restricted to a lesser range than would have been expected if one simply considers the availability of water sources. Typically, the oasis environment found today is one which may have been protected from colder climatic changes over the course of its evolution. Thus this palm is restricted by both water and climate to widely separated relict groves. The trees in these groves show little if any genetic differentiation, which suggests that this species is genetically very stable.
California fan palm grows naturally in desert and arid regions, along streams and canyons, and in open areas where groundwater is present in southern California, western Arizona, and Baja California in Mexico.
This widely grown palm succeeds admirably in a wide range of soils and climates. California fan palm can grow in extreme alkaline soils that have a pH as high as 9.2. Even large California fan palms can be successfully transplanted. California fan palms respond very well to fertilizer. A slow release fertilizer may be used during the summer growing season. Some growers fertilize their palms monthly with a general purpose plant food or a plant food specifically formulated for palms. One enthusiast used a monthly application of Miracle Grow fertilizer to grow a California fan palm with a trunk diameter of 40 in (101.6 cm) - the largest known. The vigorous and robust California fan palm is considered very disease and pest resistant, and is quite resistant to lethal yellowing disease. As with other palms, potassium and magnesium deficiencies may occur in California fan palms and mineral supplements should be administered in recommended amounts to prevent or treat such deficiencies.
Light:
California fan palm prefers exposure to full sun and even quite small specimens will thrive in full sun. It also grows well in part sun/shade.
Moisture:
Once established, California fan palm is drought tolerant, but it benefits greatly with regular watering. For optimal growth, soil should be moist with good drainage.
Hardiness:
USDA Zones 8B - 11. Established California fan palms can withstand frosts and freezes. Reports of cold hardiness for the California fan palm indicate the tree withstands 15 to 20ºF (-9.4 to -6.7ºC) with only minor foliage damage. Many enthusiasts are now growing and recommending the California fan palm in USDA Zone 8A. Mature and established plants have survived -11º F (-11.7ºC), but such very low temperatures can be expected to cause major and significant foliage damage. Palms in fast-draining soil are more cold hardy. During the winter, leaves may become temporarily discolored by damp cold and frost. California fan palms can withstand extreme heat, too, including temperatures up to 127ºF (52.8ºC).
Propagation:
California fan palm is easy to grow from seed. Even old seeds are reported to germinate well. Germination is considered so easy that young plants may become weeds under mature palms.
Usage of California Fan Palms:
Plant California fan palm outdoors in a site that can accommodate the large head of leaves, and is not directly under power lines or other structures. Use the California fan palm in natural and formal groupings and in large open areas. California fan palm is perfect for street, avenue and parkland planting where it typically is spaced about 30 ft (9.1 m) apart. Young California fan palms also can be grown in pots or tubs on decks or in indoor areas, such as conservatories or atriums that have bright light.
Features of California Fan Palms:
The California fan palm has numerous fine attributes including cold hardiness, fast growth and drought and salt resistance. This palm is inexpensive, adapts to most soils, is easy to grow and transplant, and is very hardy. The genus was named in honor of George Washington. The species name, filifera, comes from both Latin and Greek words meaning thread-bearing.
The fruit of the fan palm was used by Native Americans. It was eaten raw, cooked, or ground into flour for cakes. The Cahuilla tribe used the leaves to make sandals, thatch roofs, and for making baskets. The fan palm was a valuable resource and the stems were used to make utensils for cooking. The Moapa band of Paiutes as well as other Southern Paiutes have stated memories of grandparents also using this palm's seed, fruit or leaves for various things. It should be noted that The Southern Paiutes are related linguistically and by ancient trade routes to the Cahuilla. Kalyx.com Herb, Spice, Coffee, Tea, Aromatherapy, Bath & Body Accessories
It is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree. (It is not as widely cultivated as the Mexican Fan Palm Washingtonia robusta - a close cousin which is grown throughout the lower elevations of Nevada, California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and extreme southwestern Utah. W. filifera is one of the hardiest of Coryphoidiae palms, and repeatedly survives dips into the teens and even several inches of snow, making it a favorite of cold-hardy palm enthusiasts.
The less hardy cousin W. robusta needs slightly milder winters and may be visibly damaged at 20 degrees Fahrenheit and is also more amenable to humidity making it more favored along the Gulf Coast, in states such as Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, and the Mediterranean region. It is widely grown in interior Texas, as it is sufficiently hardy in such places as San Antonio, Austin, Midland, Odessa, and El Paso.[citation needed]
The plants grow best in warm temperate climate with dry winters and wetter summers. Specimens outside of Mediterranean climates do not grow as large, rarely exceeding 15 m. The plants are tolerant of considerable frost and the species is rated as hardy to USDA zone 8; it will survive temperatures of -10 °C with minor damage, and established plants have survived brief periods of temperatures as low as -12 °C but with severe damage to the foliage.
California Fan Palm Data
- Common names: Desert fan palm, American cotton palm, Washington palm, California palm, California fan palm, California Washington-palm, Desert palm
- Scientific name: Washingtonia filifera
- Pronunciation: wosh-ing-TOE-nee-uh fill-LIFF-er-uh
- Synonyms: Washingtonia robusta Wendl. Washingtonia arizonica Cook, Brahea filamentosa, Brahea filifera, Neowashingtonia filamentosa, Pritchardia filamentosa, Pritchardia filifera, Washingtonia filamentosa, Washingtonia filifera var. robusta
- Category: Palms
- Distribution: Southeastern California, western Arizona (USA), Baja California (Mexico)
- Conservation status: Rare
- Height: 20-60' (6-18 m).
- Diameter: 2-3' (0.6-0.9 m).
- Leaves: evergreen; numerous, spreading around top; if not burned or cut, old dead leaves hang down against trunk in thick thatch. Leafstalks 3-5' (0.9-1.5 m) long; stout, with hooked spines along edges. Leaf blades 3-5' (0.9-1.5 m) in diameter; gray-green, split into many narrow, folded, leathery segments, with edges frayed into many threadlike fibers.
- Trunk: gray, smooth, with horizontal lines and vertical fissures.
- Crown uniformity: symmetrical canopy with a regular (or smooth) outline, and individuals have more or less identical crown forms
- Crown shape: palm; upright
- Crown density: open
- Growth rate: medium
- Texture: coarse
- Spacing: over 10 ft.
- Hardiness:USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F) to USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Danger:Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling
- Flowers: 3/8" (10 mm) long; with funnel-shaped, deeply 3-lobed white corolla: short-stalked, slightly fragrant; many together in much-branched clusters 6-12" (1.8-3.7 m) long; drooping from leaf bases.
- Flower color:white; yellow
- Flower characteristics: inconspicuous and not showy; spring flowering
- Bloom Color: Inconspicuous/none
- Bloom Time: Late Spring/Early Summer
- Fruit shape:oval; round
- Fruit length:< .5 inch
- Fruit covering: fleshy
- Fruit color: black
- Fruit characteristics: does not attract wildlife; inconspicuous and not showy; no significant litter problem
- Fruit: 3/8" (10 mm) in diameter; elliptical black berry, with thin, sweetish, edible pulp, 1 elliptical brown seed.
- Foliage: Evergreen
- Leaf arrangement:alternate; spiral
- Leaf type: costapalmate
- Leaf margin: entire
- Leaf shape: star-shaped
- Leaf venation: palmate
- Leaf type and persistence: broadleaf evergreen; evergreen
- Leaf blade length: 36 inches
- Leaf color: green
- Fall color: no fall color change
- Fall characteristic:not showy
- Roots: surface roots are usually not a problem
- Winter interest:no special winter interest
- Outstanding tree: not particularly outstanding
- Invasive potential:No entries found.
- Verticillium wilt susceptibility: not known to be susceptible
- Pest resistance:long-term health usually not affected by pests
- Other details: Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
- Soil pH requirements:6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) to 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline)
- Seed Collecting: Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds
California Fan Palm Flower
California Fan Palm Fruit
California Fan Palm Foliage
Other Info California Fan Palm
Another Description of California Fan Palms
The largest native palm of the continental United States as well as the only western species, it is also known as "Desert-palm." Another name is "Petticoat-palm" from the shaggy mass of dead leaves hanging against the trunk. Groves are in Palm Canyon near Palm Springs and in Joshua Tree National Monument. It is cultivated widely as an ornamental along streets and avenues in southern California, southern Arizona, the Gulf States east to Florida, and in subtropical regions around the world. Indians ate the berries, both fresh and dry, and ground the seeds into meal. This genus honors the first president of the United States.
Kalyx.com Herb, Spice, Coffee, Tea, Aromatherapy, Bath & Body AccessoriesDuring the Miocene and the Pliocene Epoch, Washingtonia filifera, or California Fan Palm, had a more extensive distribution reaching further into the Mojave Desert and also ocurring westward to the Pacific Ocean. Climatic and geologic changes eventually decreased the range of the California Fan Palm. Today California Fan Palm can be found in the western Sonoran Desert in southeastern California with outlier populations in western Arizona and northern Baja. Because California Fan Palm needs a year round source of water, many groves are found along the San Andreas Fault and associated fault zones where water has an outlet to the surface.
Washingtonia filifera, the only palm native to California, forms open to dense groves with each specimen reaching a height of 30-50 feet and a diameter of 1-2 feet. When the skirt or shag of the palm is accounted for the total diameter can increase to approximately 8 feet. The skirt of the fan palm is formed as each dying palm frond bends down towards the trunk forming a layered ‘skirt’ that will eventually cover the majority of the trunk. It is the thickness of these majestic skirts that accounts for the dense shade many oases provide.
Considering the relative lushness of these desert oases, one can begin to understand how animals, including humans, could survive so successfully in such a harsh environment. It was the Cahuilla Indians who came to fully appreciate the richness these oases had to offer. That there is a strong association between Cahuilla archeological sites and palm groves should not be surprising considering that the groves provided them with water, food, shade, and the raw materials needed for domestic structures.
During the late summer through early fall the Cahuilla harvested the fruit of Washingtonia filifera. The seeds could be eaten fresh or dried and stored in ollas for later use. In time of famine the Cahuilla could rely on the palm hearts as a source of food. Palm leaves were used to make sandals while the palm stems were used to fabricate cooking utensils. The entire palm frond provided the roofing and siding material used for the Cahuilla homes and ramadas. A replica of a “kish”, a typical Cahuilla dwelling, is displayed in the Indian Ethnobotanical Garden at The Living Desert.
Most impressive is the Cahuilla understanding of the fire ecology associated with Washingtonia filifera. Probably after observing the effects of a naturally occurring fire, the Cahuilla came to realize that burned stands of palms flowered and fruited at significantly higher rates. It is believed that the Cahuilla initiated prescribed burns every four years in order to increase fruit production, remove debris, and to help promote seedling growth. Today fire is believed to be a naturally occurring benefit for the California Fan Palm.
Unfortunately many oases have been destroyed due to the strain urban and agricultural development has placed on the ground water supply. It is a well known fact that groundwater pumping has lowered the water table and that Washingtonia filifera is sensitive to any change in the water level. The lowering of the water level then can be held at least partially responsible for the loss of many palms. This loss is significant since so much of our native wildlife relies on the palm groves for water, food, and shelter. At The Living Desert we have made efforts to educate the public about these endangered ecosystems. We have created a replication of a natural oasis and provided interpretive text throughout the garden. The skirts have been left on the California Fan Palms to enhance the natural look of the garden and to promote the use of the garden by our local wildlife. The garden is impressive and enjoyable any time of the year.