Desert Fan Palm, Washington Fan palm
Washingtonia filifera

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm which grows up to 16 m tall. It has a large canopy of several dozen leaves. The trunk is swollen at the base. It is covered with hanging dead leaf stalks. The leaves are like a fan and greyish-green. They are 1m long and 2 m wide. They are divided about half way along into 50-70 segments. These bend and split. The leaves have prickles along the edge. The flowers are white to apricot and occur as many along a branched stalk. This stalk is 3-5 m long and hangs downwards among the leaves. The flowers have both sexes. Pollination is by wind and insects. The fruit are small and berry like. They are brownish black with a thin sweet pulp. Each fruit has a single seed.

There are 2 Washingtonia species.

Where it is found

They suit areas with a Mediterranean type climate. They can tolerate temperatures down to -7°C. They can withstand wind and do best in a sunny position. They can grow on most types of soil. It can grow in very alkaline soils with a pH of 9.2. They can survive drought but benefit from moisture. They often form colonies in arid regions near water. In Adelaide Botanical Gardens. National Arboretum Canberra. It suits plant hardiness zones 9-11.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Cayman Islands, Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Guatemala, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Nepal, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Slovenia, Turkey, Türkiye, USA, West Indies

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten fresh or dried. They are also ground into a flour and made into a drink. The terminal bud or cabbage is roasted and eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, stem pith, cabbage, palm heart, flowers

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate in 6-8 weeks.

The fruit are harvested when ripe. The seeds are also edible.

Its other names

Local names

American Cotton Palm, Californian Cotton Palm, Californian Fan palm, Kalifornijska pahljačasta palma, Petticoat palm

Synonyms

Brahea filamentosa hort. ex S. Watson; Brahea filifera hort. ex S. Watson; Neowashingtonia filamentosa Sudw.; Neowashingtonia filifera (Linden) Sudw.; Pritchardia filifera Linden; Sabal filifera hort. ex Andre; Washingtonia filamentosa (H. Wendl. ex Franceschi) Kuntze;