California fan palm

Washingtonia filifera

Description

The California fan palm is a bold and imposing tree. It can develop a massive trunk and grow to 35-50 ft. and taller. Pale green fan-shaped leaves grow 3-6 ft. across, are deeply cut and have many thread-like filaments growing from the tips and margins of leaflets. Clusters of tiny creamy-white flowers occur on 8-10 ft. long inflorescences in spring; numerous black berries ripen in late summer and sometimes germinate in gardens.

This southwestern native comes from the low deserts of Southern California and Arizona, as well as the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California. It grows with a uniform habit that makes is suited for use in plazas, as a street tree and occasionally as a yard tree. It is valued as a focal element and as a signature plant in southwestern style gardens. Normal maintenance includes cutting off dead fronds once a year.

Plant Type: Palm, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Upright
Growth Rate: Slow
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: Cream
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Sand, Clay, Alkaline soil
Exposure Adaptations: Wind, Heat, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Background plant, Wildlife value, Specimen, Slopes, Parks and open space, Mass planting, Foundations, Foliage accent plant, Civic spaces
Height: 35 ft. – 50 ft.
Width: 10 ft. – 15 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.