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Fan Palm
Washingtonia filifera
  
15 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) 15 Nurseries Carry This Plant Washingtonia filifera, also known as desert fan palm or California fan palm or California palm, is a flowering plant in the palm family (Arecaceae), and native to the southwestern U. S. and Baja California. Growing to 15-20 m (49-66 ft) tall by 3-6 m (10-20 ft) broad, it is an evergreen monocot with a tree-like growth habit. It has a sturdy columnar trunk and waxy fan-shaped (palmate) leaves. Washingtonia filifera is the only palm native to the Western United States and the country's largest native palm. Primary populations are found in desert riparian habitats at spring- and stream-fed oases in the Colorado Desert and at a few scattered locations in the Mojave Desert. It is also found near watercourses in the Sonoran Desert along the Gila River in Yuma, along the Hassayampa River and near New River in Maricopa County, and in portions of Pima County, Pinal County, Mohave County (along the Colorado River) and several other isolated locations in Clark County, Nevada. It is a naturalized species in the warm springs near Death Valley and in the extreme northwest of Sonora (Mexico). It is also reportedly naturalized in the Southeast, Hawaii, the U. S. Virgin Islands, and Australia (New South Wales).
To learn more, visit the Jepson Herbarium's YouTube channel and watch a short video about this species:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00FZCN89spg
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
49.2 - 66 ft tall
10 - 15 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Western yellow bat, hooded oriole and many other bird species.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed ) SHOW ALL
Litoprosopus coachella Image
Palm Flower Moth Litoprosopus coachellaLitoprosopus coachella

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 15

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 14° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers well drained soils, suseptible to root rot in excessively wet soils. Soil PH: 6.1 - 9.2

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with other Desert trees and shrubs such as Desert Agave (Agave deserti), Elephant Tree (Bursera microphylla), Desert Lavender (Condea emoryi), Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa or actonii), Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Chuparosa (Justicia californica), Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris), Palo Verde (Parkinsonia sp.), Smoketree (Psorothamnus spinosus), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), and Mojave Yucca (Yucca shidigera).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Host of the giant palm borer beetle (Dynapate wrightii), which feed on wood and can weaken and/or kill the tree.. Periodically remove dead leaves, which form a skirt

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
8*, 9*, 10, 11*, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moist places

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.0" - 32.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.19" - 1.89", Coldest Month: 47.7" - 60.8", Hottest Month: 63.9" - 88.9", Humidity: 1.36" - 40.78", Elevation: -115" - 3630"

Alternative Names
Common Names: California Fan Palm, California Palm, Desert Fan Palm, Washingtonia De Castilla


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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