Elegance is a quality that may not be essential to beauty, and yet when elegance is present, beauty is definitely there, too.
It is thus appropriate, I suppose, that Hollywood — where elegance is highly valued — should have a skyline which, when pictured on postcards, invariably includes palm trees. At their best, palms impart an elegance unmatched by any other tree.
Yet the palms that dominate the skyline in Hollywood and the Los Angeles area in general are not the best representatives of this tree where elegance is concerned. The iconic Hollywood tree is known as Mexican or needle palm (Washingtonia robusta). A skinny trunk that may reach 80 feet in height is topped with an inelegant mophead of tattered fronds. These fronds are hazardous when they detach from the tree at such a height and the fruits that drop contain seeds that sprout in sidewalk cracks, in lawns, and just about everywhere else. Some have even given these trees the uncomplimentary moniker of “California dandelions” because of their weedy nature.
Palms are generally divided into two categories based on the form of their leaves or fronds: fan palms, such as the one described above, and feather palms. If you are looking for elegance, date palms, all of which have feathery fronds, are a good place to start, albeit with some reservations. Four date palm species are locally seen. The date palm grown for its familiar edible crop (Phoenix dactylifera) has attractive fronds that may reach 20 feet in length. Unfortunately, its fruit can create a significant mess when it falls and splatters. I have tasted some of the fruit that fell from these trees in Sherman Oaks and found it dry and bland.
The reason for this is lack of pollination. It is worth mentioning that the fruit on many trees, not just date palms, grows in the absence of pollination. Pollination is essential for production of seed but not for that of fruit which, after all, develops from female ovarian tissue alone. The date palms that develop fruit are females and if there are no male trees around, or if the pollen from the male trees is not available at the right time, insipid fruit is produced. In commercial date orchards, pollen-laden male flowers are detached and placed in female trees to ensure pollination. The bottom line is that edible dates can only be harvested from trees grown in the desert climate of Palm Springs and Indio.
The Canary Island date (Phoenix canariensis) is a stout, towering tree used in colonnades — that is, in rows on either side of boulevards, long driveways, or entryways to hotel resorts and other signature destinations. Yet you also will frequently see one of two of them planted at the front of residential properties. Locally, many of these trees have been dying of late since it was fashionable to plant them in the 1950s and their lifespan is only 50-150 years.
Canary Island date palms are notable for their distinctive appearance after they have been skinned. ‘Skinning’ is the practice of removing pendant but living fronds from a palm tree. In the case of Canary palms, the end result is a symmetrical bulge resembling a pineapple at the top of the crown. The problem with this practice is that it exposes living tissue to the spores of a Fusarium fungus which, entering the tree where the living fronds have been cut, can kill the tree. To be safe, only remove fronds that are dead. Incidentally, another common practice that endangers the life of palm trees — and every other type of tree, for that matter — is climbing with the assistance of spikes. The indentations created by the spikes never heal and often result in debilitating fungal infections as well.
Two other date palms deserve mention. The Senegal date (Phoenix reclinata) has multiple trunks that ascend from the base of the tree diagonally in every direction, evoking remote, white-sand islands and shipwrecked castaways. The pygmy date (Phoenix roebelenii) is the most versatile of the group. Reaching a mature height of only eight to 10 feet, it can be grown outdoors either in sun or part shade, and is suitable for containers. As an indoor plant, it requires bright ambient light, but suffers from exposure to intense direct sun.
Palm trees are often thought of as restricted to tropical or sub-tropical climates and yet several are tolerant of frost. The first settlers of Palmdale mistook Joshua trees in the area for palms and that is how the city got its name. Yet you can grow at least three species of palms in Palmdale, where winter freezes typically occur, starting with the Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), named for the fact that prior to becoming endangered, it was cut down for its sap that can be fermented into wine. Unfortunately, the sap can only be accessed from a felled tree. This tree will also eventually reach 60 feet but is very slow growing with a trunk that is thickest in the middle, a trait unique among all palm tree species.
Another palm tree that can grow in Palmdale is the Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), enduring temperatures down to 0 degrees. This is the only palm species native to Europe. It is indigenous to Spain and Italy and North Africa as well. It tends to grow as a multi-trunked specimen and is homeowner-friendly since it only reaches 20 feet in height. There is a shimmering silvery-blue cultivar of the Mediterranean fan palm that is widely available and hard to resist if you are in the market for an accent plant, garden centerpiece, or impressive welcoming specimen near your front door.
Finally, the windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) is a hardy species of distinction. It is a single-trunked palm that grows no more than 30 feet tall. While cold tolerant down to 5 degrees, it is sensitive to excessive heat and wind. It does best when planted in groups of at least five to seven trees in a half-day sun location. It has an unmistakable dark brown, hairy trunk, which narrows toward the base.
One of the best local sources for palm tree shopping is Palm Plantation (palmplantation.net) in Riverside.
California native of the week: The California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) is the only palm tree native to California and the Southwest where it can be found growing in arroyos in the Palm Springs area. It makes a fine container specimen but, due to its slow growth, is seldom seen in gardens or nurseries. It will eventually grow to 60 feet and is distinguished by a beard of dead fronds that goes all the way down to the ground. This distinctive California native is a remnant from a bygone era when California was warm, humid and tropical. Fossil records indicate that 10 million years ago, Washingtonia filifera ringed the Salton Sea and could be found growing from the inland deserts to the Pacific Ocean. This tree was essential to the economy of the Cahuilla people. The fruit was eaten and the seeds ground into a mush. Fronds were used for roofing and the fibrous threads from the leaves were woven into baskets and rope. These trees may be viewed in Redlands where they dignify a mile-long stretch of Cajon Street. The California fan palm is extremely rare in the nursery trade although the Theodore Payne Foundation (theodorepayne.org) in Sun Valley presently has nine one-gallon plants in stock.
If you are regrowing a palm tree species that you would like to share with readers of this column, tell me about it at Joshua@perfectplants.com. Your questions, comments, gardening problems and tips are always welcome.
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