California Washington Palm - Term Paper Example

Abstract

Washingtonia filifera, also commonly known as the California Washington Palm, is an aesthetic plant that is originally found Baja California. It also goes by the names: Desert Fan Palm, Petticoat Palm, Cotton Palm, Washington Palm, among other terms. This research paper discusses the biological, physical and functional elements of this magnificent plant. It belongs to the Palm family Arecaceae. The California Palm is propagated via seeds, although they take a long time before germinating and may thus require treatment. It grows to the heights of about 60 feet, with its leaves spreading across the radius of 8 feet. Its trunk is its most recognized feature, as it plays a major part in giving it its aesthetic. Evolution studies on this plant, show that it is spreading across to new lands, thanks to irrigation and land reclamation. However Biological spreading has not been recorded as much. Apart from the aesthetic value, the tree also provides shade, food and shelter for animals including coyote birds. Washingtonia filifera is therefore an important plant in the plant kingdom.

Species Profile of the California Palm (Washingtonia filifera)

Introduction

Washingtonia filifera is a palm species that is solely native to the Western sides of the United States of America. It is referred to by many names such as the Petticoat Palm, Desert Fan Palm, California Fan Palm, American Cotton Palm, Cotton Palm, Washington Palm and Desert Palm. It grows in desert areas such as Nevada and Colorado with a specific bias to oases or water courses such as the warm springs of the Death Valley (Cornett, 1983). The name filifera originates from the fact that the leaves of the tree contain thread like structures. This is also why it is referred to as the Cotton Palm. The Palm tree has a most interesting history, lifecycle, evolution and additional factors about it. It also provided goods and services to the Native Americans.

Background

The Washington Palm grows up to 60 feet in average conditions but in environments where it thrives, it can grow to an outstanding height of 80 feet high. It usually has a diameter of 2-3 feet. The tree grows in such a way that the leaves are at the top of the trunk and the rest of it is straight. It remains unbranched. The leaves are fan shaped, spreading across 5-8 feet radius, creating a crown like structure at the apex of the tree. The leaves bare a shiny green color with the trunk being either brown, tan or gray. The palm has white thread like fibers that can be used for thatching and weaving. The tree bears one color throughout its trunk, however when and if there is any red color present, then it is an indication that the palm is not a pure filifera, but a hybrid. In addition to this, the tree bears flowers, fruits and seeds. Its fruit, black in color and oval in shape, grows to about 5 inches in length, but because of its hard outer cover, it is not eaten by man or animal. However, when opened, it contains seeds that are engulfed by fleshy and sweet pulp, which is what is eaten. The tree is a monocot, having its roots spreading laterally as deep as it is high. However these roots are not as thick as the trunk. The California Palm is propagated via seeds as mentioned earlier. Tomlinson, (1960) points out that these seeds take a very long time to germinate. For example, cultivated trees produce flowers after 19 years. This may lead to extinction and therefore seed treatment is usually administered in order to facilitate speedy reproduction. Self, cross, water and insect pollination take place, assisting the tree to multiply and equally spread across vast areas. The Coyote birds are especially important in this activity as they travel to long distances thereby assisting in its invasion of new habitats. The seeds that are gotten in the manure of these birds, are considered to be more permeable as opposed to seeds that directly fell from the tree. The seeds are characterized as to having hypogeal germination (Tomlinson, 1960). They remain viable for up to 6 years, germinating between 4-14 weeks.

Structure and Function

The leaves of the Washington Fan Palm are a prominent feature of the tree. They are evergreen and as earlier mentioned, grow at the apex of the tree to form a crown like structure. The leaves are also fan shaped which branch into leaflets. A palm can have up to 35 leaves in its crown. The leaf petioles have curves teeth like thorns along their margins which can be assumed to be one of its defense mechanisms. The thorns however play a role in enhancing the aesthetics of the tree. In between the leaflets are white thread like fibers. The petioles of the leaves make the leaves have a pendulous appearance that allows them to swing freely in the wind. The old leaves of the palm tree sometimes die and dry and thus detach from the trunk and fall. These are the ones that leave fissures and scars on the surface of the palm tree trunk. However some old dried leaves fall but do not completely detach. Instead they form a skirt like, or rather a petticoat structure around the base of the trunk. This is why the tree is sometimes referred to as the Petticoat Palm. This structure, acts as a habitat for various birds, insects and animals including the palm boring beetle.

Evolution

The Washingtonia filifera appears to be a very stable genus as it has little to no species differentiation. It has been restricted by water availability and climate, and as earlier mentioned, thrived and continues to thrive in well watered areas. However grazing animals at these areas tend to trample and therefore kill young seedlings. This threatens the tree species. In addition to this, there are the palm boring weevil that bore multiple holes on its trunk. Unfortunately, a heavy infestation of these weevils can lead to the death of this tree. However the tree appears to be resistant of the red weevil.

Thanks to the protection of watered areas and oases (Johnson, 1996) the Washington Fan Palm appears to be doing extremely well over time. A contributing factor to this thriving is the vast pollination, seed transportation and perhaps global warming, which has led to the increase of wet areas.

The Desert Fan Palm belongs to the Arecaceae family. Its closest relative is Washingtonia robusta, which is very similar to it, making it very difficult for experts to tell them apart. They have many similarities but there are differences including height and diameter of trunks. The two Washingtonia species are a part of a larger category of other types of palms, some shrubs, and some climbers (Parish, 1907).

Additional Interests

An interesting factor about the Washingtonia filifera is its fire resistance. The Native Americans are said to have used fire in the management of the palm trees where they set them on fire in periods of 4 years. This management strategy is believed to have increased the fertility of these trees. It helped in increasing the viability of the seeds. Aside from this, the fire removed the dead leaves, allowing them to detach, and once burnt provide nutrients back to the soil. Understories were also burnt down in order to reduce the competition for nutrients together with making the crops more accessible (Vogl, 1967). It has been proven that the trunks of these palm trees are difficult to ignite let alone burn, and in the occurrence of a fire, natural or not, only the outer vascular bundles are affected which results in the reduction of the trunk diameter. When the crown of the palm trees are set ablaze, crown size is reduced leading to the consequent reduction on the rate of evapotranspiration. Reduced evapotranspiration then leads to the effective and sufficient use of limited water, with then ultimately allows for the maximum number of palm trees in a single oasis (Vogl, 1967).

Conclusion

• Washingtonia filifera is also known as the Desert Fan Palm, the Washington Palm, the Petticoat Palm, the Cotton Palm, among other names.
• It thrives in warm and wet areas, native to the Western region of the United States.
• The Washington Palm grows up to 60 feet in height with a long straight gray or brown trunk, and pendulous leaves that form a crown at the apex.
• The leaves of the Desert Fan, play a major role in bringing out the beauty of this tree. They are ever green, with segmentations and petioles that have small curved teeth like thorns.
• The tree does not face any real threats to its existence, but faces a couple of challenges including boring weevil infestation and the trampling of young seedlings by animals that are grazing at the oases.
• The American Cotton Palm has additional features to it. One of them is the fact that it is fire resistant.