PALMAE 



California Palm. Washingtonia 



Washingtonia filifera Wendl. {Washingtonia arizonica Cook) 

 {Washingtonia robusta Wendl.) 



HABIT. An evergreen tree 30-50 feet high and 1-2 feet in 

 diameter; crown broad, consisting of large leaves; columnar 

 trunk clothed with thatchlike mass of pendent dead leaves. 



LEAVES. Clustered at top of stem; 3-6 feet long; fan-shaped; 

 nearly circular; with 40-70 ribbon-like folds deeply slashed 

 Yi-V-i of distance to base; the margins of the divisions separating 

 into threadlike filaments; petioles 3-5 feet long, 1-3 inches wide, 

 armed along margins with stout, hooked spines. 



FLOWERS. Regular; perfect; minute; in compound clusters 

 8-10 feet long; appearing from axils of upper leaves; calyx 

 tubular; corolla white, tubular; stamens 6; ovary 3-lobed and 

 3-celled with a single ovule in each cell. 



FRUIT. Drupelike berry; "Yq inch long; black when ripe in 

 September; ellipsoidal; with a thin, dry, sweet pulp; produced 

 in large quantities. Seed: !4 inch long, Yq inch wide, pale 

 chestnut-brown, 



BARK, Stem with thick barklike rind; narrowly furrowed; 

 pale cinnamon to dull red-brown. 



WOOD. Light; soft; spongy and fibrous; numerous, dark 

 orange-colored, fibro-vascular bundles; unimportant. 



SILVICAL CHARACTERS. Moderately tolerant when 

 young, becoming intolerant; reproduction plentiful; long, deep 

 roots; alkaline soils; dry, warm mountain canyons. 



GENERAL. This palm is reported from southern California 

 and southwestern Arizona, often occurring there in large numbers. 

 Considerable confusion exists as to the nomenclature and 

 classification of the forms of Washingtonia. 



Cabbage Palmetto 

 Sabal palmetto (Walt.) Lodd. 



This species, of the Coastal Plain from North Carolina to 

 Florida, forms a tree 40-90 feet high and 1-2 feet in diameter. 

 It resembles Washingtonia in its fan-shaped leaves, flowers, and 

 fruit; but can be easily distinguished by its unarmed leaf stalks. 

 Two other species are native to the Gulf area : Louisiana palmetto, 

 S. louisiana (Darby) Bom., in Louisiana and Texas and palmetto, 

 S. texana (Cook) Becc, in southern Texas. 



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