Washingtonia robusta
H. Wendl.
Desert Fan Palm
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Palm heart, Cabbage
The fruit, seeds, and palm heart are edible, and the plant also produces edible cabbage. Traditionally, the fruit are eaten.
Where to Find It
It does best in warm temperate to tropical places. It often grows near the sea in Mexico. It suits arid regions. In Adelaide Botanical Gardens. It suits plant hardiness zones 9-11. Hobart Botanical Gardens.
Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Central America, Colombia, East Africa, Ecuador, Europe, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mediterranean, Mexico*, North America, Pacific, SE Asia, Slovenia, South America, Tasmania, USA, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A fan palm. It can be 40 m tall. The trunk is thinner than Washingtonia filifera. It is flared widely at the base. The trunk can be covered with dead leaves. The leaves are large and fan shaped. They are green on both surfaces. There are brown thorns on the leaf stalk. The base of the leaf has a red-brown sheath. Mature palms do not have threads on the leaf blades. The flowering stalk grows from among the leaves and extends beyond them. They are 2-3 m long. Flowers are pink. The fruit are round and black when ripe.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds. The small seeds grow very easily.
Medicinal Uses
Seeds grow very easily, making propagation straightforward.
Names & Synonyms
Mexican Fan palm, Palma abanico, Skyduster palm, Thread palm, Washington Palm
References (24)
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