About California Fan Palm
Washingtonia filifera, commonly known as the California fan palm, cotton palm or desert fan palm, is a flowering plant in the family Arecaceae, native to the far southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It typically grows 30–50 feet (9–15 m) tall and 1–2 feet (0.3–0.6 m) wide, with a sturdy, columnar trunk and waxy, fan-shaped (palmate) leaves. As a monocot, it is evergreen and exhibits a tree-like growth habit. It is the only palm species native to the southwestern United States, forming groves around perennial water sources in the Colorado, Mojave, and Sonoran deserts. These stands provide critical habitat for wildlife and were historically used by Indigenous peoples of the region for food, shelter, and materials.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Washingtonia filifera
- Genus
- Washingtonia
- Family
- ARECACEAE
- Habit
- Palm
- Native to
- Arizona to California
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Arecaceae
Palm family
California Fan Palm belongs to the Arecaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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