Washingtonia robusta seed

LATIN NAME: Washingtonia robusta

COMMON NAME: Mexican Fan Palm, Skyduster, Mexican Washingtonia

The Mexican fan palm is one of the tallest and most graceful palms of the desert, and its soaring trunk and fan of fronds define the skyline of the warm southwest. It grows as a tall, slender palm, reaching up to thirty metres, with a smooth, grey-brown trunk that is broad at the base and tapers upward, crowned by a great, rounded head of large, fan-shaped leaves, bright green and deeply divided, with dry, brown skirts of old leaves hanging beneath the crown. In summer it bears long, arching sprays of small, cream flowers, followed by clusters of small, black fruits, and it is one of the most widely planted palms in the warm regions of the world.

The Mexican fan palm belongs to the palm family, Arecaceae, and it is native to the Sonoran desert along the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Despite its limited native distribution, it is one of the most widely cultivated palms in the world, planted along streets and in gardens across the warm regions.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Mexican fan palm has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and ecological research. It is one of the most widely planted palms in the world, and it has been studied in horticulture for its cultivation, its rapid growth and its value as an ornamental, since it lines the streets and fills the gardens of warm cities everywhere, and researchers have examined its growth, its care and its management. The palm has also been studied in ecology, since in some regions where it has been introduced it has spread into natural areas, and researchers have examined its behaviour and its place in the landscape, while in its native Sonoran desert it has been studied in research on desert plants and their adaptations. The fruits have also been studied for their traditional uses by the peoples of the region. For a palm of such wide planting, the Mexican fan palm has a steady and growing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the Mexican fan palm is a generous tree of the warm city and the desert. Its cream flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its black fruits feed birds, and its tall crown gives shelter and roosting sites, while in its native desert it is a landmark for wildlife.

Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. It is one of the most widely planted palms in the world, grown for landscaping, streets and gardens in warm regions, and it is produced in large numbers by the nursery trade, while its fruits have traditional uses among the peoples of its native range. For a grower, the Mexican fan palm is a fast and dependable crop, and for a gardener in a warm climate it brings a soaring, graceful silhouette to the skyline. The seeds are easy — sow the small, round nuts in warm, moist compost, keep them in a warm, bright spot, and they’ll sprout within a few weeks, the little palms growing on steadily, and within a few years you’ll have a graceful palm with its first fans of leaves.

Washingtonia robusta /Mexican Fan Palm

Easy to Grow, Fast Growth, Edible Fruit/Nuts, Evergreen, Specimen Tree, Street Tree, Wildlife Food, Heat, Drought and Salt Tolerant

Soaring to over 100 feet, this skyscraper of the palm world is a striking sight when planted at equal intervals along a boulevard or when snuggled up in groups against high rise buildings. The gray trunk is ringed with closely set leaf scars although usually at least part of the trunk remains covered with dead leaves that hang in a thatch. The solitary trunk, about 10-12 inches in diameter, bulges at the ground and becomes slender as it approaches a crown of large palmate leaves with gracefully drooping leaflet tips. These are rich glossy green and grow to about 5 feet long and 4 feet wide. They are borne on 3 foot orange leaf stems that are edged with vicious sawtooth spines. As the leaves die, they fall against the trunk to create the “hula skirt” effect for which this palm is famous.