Palm, Desert Fan

Palm, Desert Fan — Washingtonia filifera (filifera – Latin “thread-bearing”, also known as Desert Fan Palm’, American Cotton palms, or Arizona fan Palm, or California fan Palm) is a palm native to the desert oases of Central, southern and southwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, extreme northwest Mexico and inland deserts of southern California. It grows up to 23 m (exceptionally 30 m) tall in good growing conditions and is the only palm native to the contiguous United States West of San Antonio Texas. The leaves have a petiole up to 2 m long, bearing a fan of leaflets 1.5-2 m long, with white, thread-like fibers between the segments. When the leaves die they bend downwards and form a skirt around the trunk. The shelter that the skirt creates provides a microhabitat for many invertebrates. Washingtonia filifera can live from 80 to 250 years or more and its name honors George Washington, the first President of the United States.

The fruit of the fan palm was used by Native Americans. It was eaten raw, cooked, or ground into flour for cakes. The Cahuilla tribe used the leaves to make sandals, thatch roofs, and for making baskets. The fan palm was a valuable resource and the stems were used to make utensils for cooking. The Moapa band of Paiutes as well as other Southern Paiutes have stated memories of grandparents also using this palm’s seed, fruit or leaves for various things. It should be noted that The Southern Paiutes are related linguistically and by ancient trade routes to the Cahuilla.