| Author | Content |
ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 23, 2011 5:41 PM Post #8649959
| This is a seedling from a very old palm on my father-in-law's ranch. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the mature tree, but it was likely planted by his grandparents in the 1920's or 1930's and is located in East Biggs, CA. The mature tree is probably at least 30 feet tall, maybe more, and has a smooth trunk (leaf bases not retained, but not smooth to the touch!). It's in an open area between orchards and a safflower feild, and is growing right next to a well, but it receives no direct irrigation. The mature palm looks great year-round, and withstands temperatures over 110*F and occassional drops below 20*F with no aparent problems.
I've always just assumed it's a Califonia Fan Palm, but am not well versed in Palms and don't know how to tell for sure. This seedling was collected about 2 years ago, growing about 10 feet from the parent plant. The leaves look the same, but the mature tree has a much taller trunk that is not covered in leaf bases. Does anyone know what palm this is?
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 23, 2011 5:43 PM Post #8649960
| Frond and top of the palm seedling: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 23, 2011 5:44 PM Post #8649965
| And base of the palm seedling: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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growin
Vancouver, BC (Zone 8b)
 June 23, 2011 5:49 PM Post #8649986
| Definitely a Washingtonia. Not sure which species. |
Tammmmmy
Rutland, VT
June 23, 2011 5:57 PM Post #8650010
| I "believe" this palm is called the SAGO PALM...they are quite common in Arizona in yards and landscapes. The SAGO PALM was the very FIRST palm ever to be studied and named in plant history which makes this the oldest plant known to be still in existence. |
growin
Vancouver, BC (Zone 8b)
June 23, 2011 6:07 PM Post #8650035
| On your father-in-law's ranch, is the trunk thick and straight or is it thin? Here's the California Fan Palm http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51473/ and Mexican Fan Palm http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51656/ to compare. I got them confused but Palmbob should be able to give you the right ID. |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA (Zone 9a)
June 23, 2011 6:27 PM Post #8650082
| Definitely not a Sago (which is not actually a palm...it's a cycad). This one is a "real" palm of some sort. |
ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 23, 2011 6:28 PM Post #8650084
| It's certainly not a Sego, which is, in fact, not even technically a palm, but a Cycad. It's definitely straight, and not very thick, but not super thin either. It's also not as tall as the ones you see lining the drives on ranches around here, but that could be an environmental difference... Certainly not thick and squatty though, somewhere in the middle :).
Something like this:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/14141/ (but with fewer dead leaves retained, although there are usually a couple)
or http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/81345/ (but has no leaf bases at all, and trust me, no one cleans them off) |
alleyb
Mesa, AZ
June 23, 2011 11:36 PM Post #8650734
| It is a Mexican Fan Palm |
ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 24, 2011 8:14 AM Post #8651293
| Since I don't know as much about these palms as I would like to, could anyone explain to me what about it makes it a Washingtonia? And Alleyb, how do you know if it's a Mexican Fan rather than California? I would like to know more about them so I could ID one myself in the future :). Thanks! |
growin
Vancouver, BC (Zone 8b)
June 24, 2011 9:22 AM Post #8651443
| Well, I start with the fact you're in California and Washingtonias are very common there. I was just there last week and all along I-5 from LA to Redding, they can be seen growing in farms, RV dealers & campgrounds, gas stations, etc. Ya, I do highway plant ID. The leaves have threads, the petioles have spines that are reddish, the leaf colour is a light green, in your second photo shows the new leaf emerging from the centre with a fully developed leaf right next to it and the colour of the old leaf bases is a reddish. Hope this helps. |
hollynorth
Avondale, AZ
June 24, 2011 10:25 AM Post #8651555
| Yep, I'm from AZ too (like Alleyb) and I'm 99% certain it's a Mexican Fan Palm. They grow ALL OVER here and I've seen them at all stages. My neighbors just planted some young ones and they're IDENTICAL. |
growin
Vancouver, BC (Zone 8b)
June 24, 2011 10:35 AM Post #8651586
| I think you're right, hollynorth. The California Fan Palm has a very pronounced trunk. |
ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 24, 2011 11:13 AM Post #8651700
| This is probably a Washingtonia as you've all said, but I just want to make sure you're not choosing that simply because it's common in CA. The people who planted this tree came to CA from England in the 1920s, and started the ranch as a hobby of sorts. There are all kinds of odd/heirloom varieties of Walnuts and Prunes in the commercial orchard (which is a huge hassle now, because you have to shake only certain trees at a time because the processors accept them based on size and other characteristics and don't tend to like unique varieties, but that's another story), as well as numerous less common fruit trees in the little family orchard.
But this is the only palm, so it could still be a common one :)
I might be going down to East Biggs this weekend to look at a horse, and if I do I'll be sure to take a picture of the mature tree. |
ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 25, 2011 4:34 PM Post #8654321
| Here is a picture of the parent palm. I think it's much taller than my original 30' assessment. As you can see, it towers over the prune trees and oak in the background. I would guess it's more like 50-60' fall. Also, it has a chunk missing from the lower portion of the trunk that has been there for several years due to someone backing a peice of equiptment into it...And there are several woodpecker holes, but it looks good for having been so neglected :) 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 25, 2011 4:36 PM Post #8654325
| Let's try it again right side up: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
June 25, 2011 4:38 PM Post #8654329
| And from the other side: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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palmbob
Tarzana, CA (Zone 9b)
June 27, 2011 3:47 PM Post #8658250
| Washingtonia |
growin
Vancouver, BC (Zone 8b)
June 27, 2011 5:45 PM Post #8658458
| Palmbob, is it W. robusta or filifera? |
alleyb
Mesa, AZ
July 4, 2011 10:19 PM Post #8672885
| wondering what kind of plant or tree this is? It has 3 different leaves on it. We pulled it up last year and it came back up this year so we decided to wait to see what it is. Anyone have any idea what it is? We live in Mesa, Az 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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growin
Vancouver, BC (Zone 8b)
July 4, 2011 10:53 PM Post #8672919
| alleyb, please open a new thread for an ID of your plant. |
palmbob
Tarzana, CA (Zone 9b)
July 5, 2011 11:09 AM Post #8673864
| that Washingtonia is probably a filifera or a filifera x robusta- thick trunk and no obvious red/brown on the petioles. Plus it looks pretty happy growing in the middle of nowhere and no supplemental water. A robusta in that situation would probably look a tad more spindly. |
ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
July 5, 2011 11:45 AM Post #8673954
| Thank you Palmbob and everyone else whom responded. Looks like my guess at CA Fan Palm may have been right all along. At least now I have some "educated" behind future guesses :).
These trees definitely put up with quite a bit of neglect. My husband brought home another seedling this winter that was collected from a cement slab directly below the deisel tank. The tank is raised, and the slab below is covered in a few inches of years and years worth of dirt, dust, spilled fuel, and other muck, and this last seedling decided to make itself at home there! I potted it and the very small root sytem in potting soil, and left it on my seedling bench outside the rest of the winter. We received a small amount of snow this winter, and the two little leaves of the newest palm turned brown. I thought it was probably dead from the shock of new soil and/or snow but continued to water this spring just in case. Within the last month two new leaves have emerged! These are pretty hardy little guys :).
This message was edited Jul 5, 2011 10:47 AM |
NorthSC
North, SC (Zone 8a)
July 26, 2011 9:08 AM Post #8716206
| Is this a frond of Washingtonia robusta, filibusta or filifera? 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ogon
Paradise, CA (Zone 9a)
July 26, 2011 9:29 AM Post #8716249
| NorthSC, you should post your image as a new thread. Each question should be on it's own thread, and this one is already closed so most people won't look at it. Post yours to a new thread and you will probably also want to add an image of the entire frond, as the tips show more of the differences that the base. And an image of the whole palm is always helpful too :). |
palmbob
Tarzana, CA (Zone 9b)
July 26, 2011 11:39 AM Post #8716463
| can't tell from that part of the leaf... need the other end of the petiole, or the trunk, or the entire leaf etc... that is the one part that looks basically the same on both species. |
