Washingtonia filifera     
California fan palm   
Palmae Family     

stringy fronds of Washingtonia filifera

Form: large palm with fan fronds and stout trunk
Seasonality: evergreen
Size: 45ft or more, frond spread to 15ft; fast growth rate (15ft in 10 years)
Leaves: fan-shaped fronds, 3-6ft across, gray-green; margins more stringy than W. robusta; tips of fronds arch down; most attractive when old yellowed fronds are allowed to accumulate against trunk
Flowers: on stalks extending beyond foliage, small off-white flowers
Fruit: pea-sized black berries
Stems/Trunks: fatter trunk than W. robusta
Range/Origin: southwestern Arizona and California
Hardiness: to high teens; recovers from damage quickly, more cold hardy than W. robusta

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• silhouette or skyline tree
• roadsides and lining entries
• out of scale for most residential uses

Washingtonia filifera

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, likes heat
• Water: moderate; 1 deep irrigation per month; additional water increases growth rate
• Soil: tolerant
• Propagation: seed from isolated seed source; hybridizes readily
• Maintenance: moderate to high; messy fruit drop, frond and thatch removal if desired

NOTES:

differs from W. robusta by width of trunk, erectness of fronds, presence of strings on frond margins, gray-green color, and cold hardiness

roadside stand of Washingtonia palms variation in form probably reflects failure to obtain original seed from isolated stock

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This page was first created July 5, 2001 and last modified March 16, 2006.

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email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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