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Washingtonia robusta
Species of palm From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Washingtonia robusta, known by common name as the Mexican fan palm, Mexican washingtonia, or skyduster is a palm tree native to the Baja California peninsula and a small part of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. Despite its limited native distribution, W. robusta is one of the most widely cultivated subtropical palms in the world.[3] It is naturalized in Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, Texas, parts of the Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Réunion,[4][5].[citation needed]
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Description
W. robusta grows to 25 m (82 ft) tall, rarely up to 30 m (98 ft). The leaves have a petiole up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long, and a palmate fan of leaflets up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long. The petioles are armed with sharp thorns. The inflorescence is up to 3 m (10 ft) long, with numerous small, pale orange-pink flowers. The fruit is a spherical, blue-black drupe, 6–8 mm (1⁄4–5⁄16 in) diameter; it is edible, though thin-fleshed.[6]
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Taxonomy
It is one of two species in the genus Washingtonia. The other is the close relative Washingtonia filifera, which occupies a more northerly distribution. Compared with W. robusta, W. filifera has a thicker trunk and dull green leaves.[7]
Nomenclature
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Distribution
This palm is native to the Baja California peninsula and Sonora. On the peninsula, it occurs from the Sierra de La Asamblea and the Baja California desert south into the Vizcaino region and the Sierra de La Giganta, and into the southern cape.[8] In Sonora, it occurs in canyons in the western half of the state, particularly in the palm oases of the Sierra El Aguaje north of Guaymas. It is relatively restricted, and is suspected to be a relict population in Sonora. It has the least number of plants in the palm oases that are shared with two other more numerous species, Brahea brandegeei and Sabal uresana.[7]
Cultivation
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Perspective
Like the closely related Washingtonia filifera (California fan palm), it is grown as an ornamental tree. Although very similar, the Mexican washingtonia has a narrower trunk (which is typically somewhat wider at the base), and grows slightly faster and taller; it is also somewhat less cold hardy than the California fan palm, hardy to about −8 °C (18 °F).[citation needed]
Field research conducted on W. robusta in its native habitat on the Baja California peninsula concluded that its potential longevity may exceed 500 years.[9] Supporting research by Barry Tomlinson and Brett Huggett states that there is "evidence for extreme longevity of metabolically functioning cells of considerable diversity in palm stems."[10] Many of the iconic "sky dusters" of Los Angeles that have survived the chainsaws of progress are documented in photography from the 19th century.[citation needed]
The Mexican fan palm is normally grown in the desert Southwestern United States, in areas such as California, Arizona, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and Texas. It also cultivated in the coastal areas of South Atlantic states and the Gulf Coast, including extreme southern North Carolina, coastal South Carolina, southern Georgia, and Florida. Along the Gulf Coast, Mexican fan palms can be found growing along the Florida west coast westward to South Texas.[citation needed]
Washingtonia × filibusta is a hybrid of W. robusta and W. filifera, and has intermediate characteristics of the two parents, especially greater tolerance of wet cold.[11]
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Maintenance
Like the related W. filifera, W. robusta does not drop its older leaves but retains them firmly attached to the trunk as it grows. This is referred to as the beard or skirt of the tree. When growing in the wild, the tree's large, heavy skirt is a great asset for wasps, rats, mice, scorpions, birds, spiders, and other small animals, who can use the complex environment as a nest and habitat similar to the way small fish and invertebrates nest in a coral reef. However, in the context of a hotel, golf course or home, the proliferation of small animals can become a nuisance to human property owners. For this reason, when W. robusta is cultivated, its skirt of heavy, dry, dead leaves is typically cut ("trimming"), and then the leaf bases are removed to give the trunk a relatively smooth, uniform appearance ("skinning") by arborists. Due to the tree's great height, and the extreme weight of the skirt, this process has been extremely dangerous and potentially lethal to arborists. As a result, the California Department of Public Health developed a series of reports and training materials to prevent accidents while trimming tall skirt-bearing palms such as W. robusta.[12]
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Gallery
Flowering palm in Chandler, Arizona
Infructescence
Inflorescence
Washingtonia robusta with an average length of 59 feet, Gaziantep, Turkey
Arizona State University's Palm Walk
Species in Venice Beach, California
W. robusta growing in Saint Simons Island, Georgia
W. robusta and Canary Island date palms are commonly seen lining many streets throughout San Jose, California.
Species line Santa Clara Street in San Jose, California
Oldest palms in Los Angeles, planted circa 1875
A Mexican fan palm tree in Enterprise, Alabama
Mexican Fan Palm From Sacramento, California
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References
External links
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