Jump to content

Washingtonia filifera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Washingtonia filifera
Native grove nearTwentynine Palms, California
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Tribe: Trachycarpeae
Genus: Washingtonia
Species:
W. filifera
Binomial name
Washingtonia filifera
Natural range
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Brahea dulcisJ.G. Cooper
  • Brahea filamentosa(Franceschi) Kuntze
  • Brahea filifera(Linden ex André) hort. ex S. Watson
  • Livistona filamentosa(H. Wendl. ex Franceschi) Pfister
  • Neowashingtonia filamentosa(Franceschi) Sudw.
  • Neowashingtonia filifera(Linden ex André) Sudw.
  • Pritchardia filamentosaFranceschi
  • Pritchardia filiferaLinden ex André
  • Washingtonia filamentosa(Franceschi) Kuntze
  • Washingtonia filiferavar.microspermaBecc.

Washingtonia filifera,thedesert fan palm,[4]California fan palm,orCalifornia palm,[5][6][7]is aflowering plantin the palmfamilyArecaceae,nativeto the farsouthwestern United StatesandBaja California,Mexico. Growing to 15–20 m (49–66 ft) tall by 3–6 m (10–20 ft) broad, it is anevergreenmonocotwith atree-like growth habit. It has a sturdy, columnar trunk and waxy, fan-shaped (palmate) leaves.

Names

[edit]

The Latinspecific epithetfiliferameans "thread-bearing".[8]

Description

[edit]

Washingtonia filiferagrows to 18 m (59 ft) in height, and occasionally to as much as 25 m (82 ft) in ideal conditions. The California fan palm is also known as the desert fan palm, American cotton palm, and Arizona fan palm.

Thefrondsare up to 4 m (13 ft) long, made up of athornedpetioleup to 2 m (6.6 ft) long, bearing a fan of leaflets 1.5–2.0 m (4.9–6.6 ft) long. They have long, thread-like, white fibers, and the petioles are pure green with yellow edges andfilifera-filaments, between the segments. The trunk is gray and tan, and the leaves are gray green. When the fronds die, they remain attached and drop down to cloak the trunk in a wide skirt. The shelter that the skirt creates provides a microhabitat for many small birds and invertebrates.

Washingtonia filiferatypically lives from 80 to 250 years or more.

Distribution

[edit]

Washingtonia filiferais the only palm native to the Western United States and one of the country's largest native palms,[9][10]exceeded in height only by theCuban or Florida royal palm.[7]

Primary populations are found in desertriparianhabitats at spring-fed and stream-fed oases in theColorado Desert[11]and at a few scattered locations in theMojave Desert.[12]It is also found near watercourses in theSonoran Desertalong theGila RiverinYuma,[13]along theHassayampa Riverand near New River inMaricopa County,and in portions ofPima County,Pinal County,Mohave County(along the Colorado River), and several other isolated locations inClark County,Nevada. In Mexico, it is native only to the state ofBaja California,where it occurs in isolated canyons and oases as far south asBahía de los Angeles.[14]It is anaturalizedspecies in the warm springs nearDeath Valleyand in the extreme northwest ofSonora(Mexico). It is also reportedly naturalized in theSouthandSoutheast Texas,Florida,Hawaii,extreme southwestUtah,the U.S.Virgin Islands,andAustraliaas well as in Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Spain and Italy.[15][16]

Ecology

[edit]
A grove of Washingtonia filifera south of Palm Springs.

Desert fan palms provide habitat for thegiant palm-boring beetle,western yellow bat,hooded oriole,and many other bird species. Hooded orioles rely on the trees for food and places to build nests. Numerous insect species visit the hanging inflorescences that appear in late spring.[17]

Historically, natural oases are mainly restricted to areas downstream from the source of hot springs, though water is not always visible at the surface.

Today's oasis environment may have been protected from colder climatic changes over the course of its evolution. Thus, this palm is restricted by both water and climate to widely separatedrelictgroves.[18]The trees in these groves show little if any genetic differentiation, (through electrophoretic examination), suggesting that the genus is genetically very stable.

Fire adaptations

[edit]

Fan palm oases have historically been subject to both natural and manmade fires. Fires are rarely fatal for the fan palm, but it is also not completely immune to them.

The fan palm's trunk is heavily resistant to burning. In most cases, the trunk is only at risk of losing some of its outer vascular layers during a fire. After those layers are ignited and burnt off, the remaining surface is left heavily charred, which fortifies the trunk against future flames. Subsequent burnings serve to char the trunk more, further increasing its fire resistance.

The palm's fronds are the most flammable portion of the tree. The unchecked buildup of dead fronds as a 'skirt' around the trunk can be especially dangerous in a crown fire. A severe accumulation of them could constitute enough kindling to completely burn through the trunk, killing the tree. However, if a palm can survive the burning of its fronds, they will take time to regrow, leaving it less susceptible to fire in the meantime.

Barring extreme, fatal conditions, fires are even conducive to the health and propagation of fan palms. The palms' reproduction process benefits from burnings, as fires help release saplings and clear away overgrowth from surrounding vegetation. Fires can also help palms conserve water by burning away their crowns and parts of their trunks, leading to a reduction in surface area and therefore decreased rates of evaporation and transpiration.[19]

Threats

[edit]

Grazing animals can kill young plants through trampling, or by eating the terminus at the apical meristem, the growing portion of the plant. This may have kept palms restricted to a lesser range than indicated by the availability of water.

The palm boring beetleDinapate wrightii(Bostrichidae) can chew through the trunks of this and other palms. Eventually, a continued infestation of beetles can kill various genera and species of palms.W. filiferaappears to be resistant to the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) by a mechanism ofantibiosis– production of compounds lethal to the larvae.[20][21][22]

Currently, the desert fan palm is experiencing a population and range expansion, perhaps due to global warming[23][24]ormustang control.

Uses

[edit]

The sweet fruit pulp of the fan palm is edible.[25]The fruit was eaten raw, cooked, or ground into flour for cakes by Native Americans.[26]TheCahuillaand related tribes used the leaves to make sandals, roofthatch,and baskets. The woody petioles were used to make cooking utensils. TheMoapa band of Paiutesand otherSouthern Paiute peoplehave written memories of using this palm's seed, fruit, or leaves for various purposes, including asfamine food.[27][28]Thebud(known asheart of palm) has also been eaten.[29]

Access

[edit]

Joshua Tree National Parkin the Mojave Desert preserves and protects healthy riparian palm habitat examples in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, and westward where water rises through the San Andreas Fault on the east valley side. In the central Coachella Valley, theIndio Hills Palms State Reserveand nearbyCoachella Valley Preserve,other large oases are protected and accessible. TheSanta Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument,andAnza-Borrego Desert State Parkboth have large and diverseW. filiferacanyon oasis habitats. In Arizona,Kofa National Wildlife Refugehosts an accessible grove of this species.

Cultivation

[edit]

Washingtonia filiferais widely cultivated as anornamental tree.It is one of the hardiestcoryphoidpalms, rated as hardy to USDAhardiness zone8. It can survive brief temperatures of −10 °C (14 °F) with minor damage, and established plants have survived, with severe leaf damage, brief periods as low as −17 °C (1 °F). The plants grow best in arid or Mediterranean climates, but can be found in humid subtropical climates such as eastern Australia and the southeastern USA. It has gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[30][31]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^Carrero, C. (2021)."Washingtonia filifera".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2021:e.T38725A59318379.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T38725A59318379.en.Retrieved12 November2021.
  2. ^"Washingtonia filifera(Linden ex André) H. Wendl. ex de Bary ".Tropicos.org.Missouri Botanical Garden.Retrieved20 June2014.
  3. ^"Washingtonia filifera(Linden ex André) H.Wendl. ex de Bary ".PlantList. 2013.Retrieved20 June2014.
  4. ^Cornett, J. W. (1986). "The Common Name of Washingtonia filifera".Principes.30(4): 153–55.
  5. ^Griffin, Bruce (2000).A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert.University of California Press. p. 165.ISBN978-0520219809.
  6. ^Kearney, Thomas and Robert Hibbs Peebles (1960).Arizona Flora.University of California Press. p. 164.ISBN978-0520006379.
  7. ^abFlora of North America Association.Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in Part), and Zingiberidae.pp. 105–06, 116–17.ISBN978-0195137293.
  8. ^Harrison, Lorraine (2012).RHS Latin for Gardeners.UK: Mitchell Beazley.ISBN978-1845337315.
  9. ^Hogan, C. Michael (5 January 2009)."California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) ".iGoTerra.Retrieved20 June2014.
  10. ^Clover, E.U. (April 1937). "Vegetational survey of the lower Rio Grand Valley, Texas".Madroño.4(2): 41–66.JSTOR41422215.
  11. ^Cornett, James W. (1997).The Sonoran Desert: A Brief Natural History.Palm Springs, California: Palm Springs Desert Museum.ISBN0937794279.
  12. ^Cornett, James W. (1987).Naturalized Populations of the Desert Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera, in Death Valley National Monument in Plant Biology of Eastern California.Los Angeles: White Mountain Research Station, University of California. pp. 167–74.
  13. ^Nothaft, Mark (22 March 2016)."Are palm trees native to Arizona?".Retrieved26 March2016.Mark Fleming, curator of botany at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum of Tucson, saysWashingtonia filifera,or the California fan palm, is the state's only naturally occurring variety and that they are found in pockets around southern California, Northern Mexico, and one or two pockets in Arizona.
  14. ^Wiggins, Ira L. (1980).Flora of Baja California.Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 1025.ISBN0-8047-1016-3.
  15. ^"Plant Profile for Washingtonia filifera (California fan palm)".Natural Resources Conservation Service.United States Department of Agriculture.Retrieved20 June2014.
  16. ^Govaerts, R."Washingtonia filifera (Rafarin) H.Wendl. ex de Bary, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 37: LXI (1879)".World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.Retrieved21 June2014.
  17. ^Cornett, J. W. 1986. Arthropod visitors at Washingtonia filifera (Wendl) Flowers. Pan Pacific Entomologist 62(3):224–25.
  18. ^"Desert Fan Palms-Evidence suggests" Relict Genus "".xeri.Retrieved10 December2016.
  19. ^Vogl, Richard; McHargue, Lawrence (1966)."Vegetation of California Fan Palm Oases on the San Andreas Fault".Ecological Society of America.47(4): 532–40.doi:10.2307/1933929.JSTOR1933929.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^Nisson, N.; Hodel, D.; Hoddle, M."Red Palm Weevil".Center for Invasive Species Research.University of California Riverside.Retrieved20 June2014.
  21. ^Dembilio, Ó.; Jacas, J.A.; Llácer, E. (August 2009). "Are the palmsWashingtonia filiferaandChamaerops humilissuitable hosts for the red palm weevil,Rhynchophorus ferrugineus(Col. Curculionidae)? ".Journal of Applied Entomology.133(7): 565–67.doi:10.1111/j.1439-0418.2009.01385.x.S2CID85677945.
  22. ^Monroy, F.; Curir, P.; Clematis, F.; Cangelosi, B. (June 2016). "Susceptibility and possible resistance mechanisms in the palm species Phoenix dactylifera, Chamaerops humilis and Washingtonia filifera against Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)".Bulletin of Entomological Research.106(3): 341–46.doi:10.1017/S000748531500108X.ISSN0007-4853.PMID26976073.S2CID206225113.
  23. ^Cornett, James W. (2010).Desert Palm Oasis(Second ed.). Palm Springs, California: Nature Trails Press.ISBN978-0937794425.
  24. ^"global warming & W. filifera Palms – a rebuttal".xeri.Retrieved10 December2016.
  25. ^Little, Elbert L. (1994) [1980].The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region(Chanticleer Press ed.). Knopf. p. 325.ISBN0394507614.
  26. ^Cornett, James W. (2011).Indian Uses of Desert Plants(Third ed.). Palm Springs, California: Nature Trails Press.ISBN978-0937794456.
  27. ^Spencer, W. (1995)."Washingtonia filifera: Nevada's rejected ancient Palm".xeri.Retrieved21 June2014.
  28. ^Spencer, W. (1995)."A report regarding: The Palm – Washingtonia filifera – in Moapa NV".xeri.Retrieved21 June2014.
  29. ^Peattie, Donald Culross(1953).A Natural History of Western Trees.New York:Bonanza Books.p. 299.[ISBN missing]
  30. ^"Washingtonia filifera:Washington palm ".RHS Gardening.Royal Horticultural Society.Retrieved17 March2021.
  31. ^"California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera".realpalmtrees.
[edit]