Plant ID card |
|
|---|---|
Botanical name |
Washingtonia robusta. |
Common name |
Mexican palm tree. |
Family |
Arecaceae. |
Origin |
Mexico. |
Dimensions |
The single stipe, 25 cm in diameter, can reach 24 m high in its habitat, 10 m here, with an enlarged base. The young trunk has a very decorative interweaving of petioles. Its growth is rapid. |
Foliage |
Bright green evergreen leaves forming an almost circular fan, with reddish petioles adorned with clearly visible orange-brown teeth. The crown extends up to 3 m in diameter. The segments falling at the end fray, particularly in young subjects. |
Bloom |
Long white inflorescences carried by peduncles of 2 to 3.60 m which arise in the heart of the crown in summer. |
Fruiting |
Multitude of pea-sized dark brown drupes. |
Exposure |
Full sun. |
Ground |
Any drained soil, even limestone and poor. |
Rusticity |
Moderately hardy (-8°C). |
The two
Washingtonias, robusta and filifera,
are often planted with the Canary Islands phoenix around the Mediterranean and on the South Atlantic coast. They are native to arid areas and canyons of northwest Baja California in Mexico along with
Brahea armata
, but the
filifera
's habitat stretches further north to Arizona.
Where to plant
Washingtonia robusta
?
Plant the Mexican palm in summer or late spring. This palm, which is particularly
resistant to wind, drought and sea spray,
tolerates all types of soil, even limestone, poor and relatively humid in winter. Its foliage freezes above -8°C, thus appearing a little less hardy than
filifera
capable of withstanding -10°C but which requires very well-drained soil.
Place it in a very sunny area, sheltered from cold winds. It can
be planted in a container
to be sheltered in a cold greenhouse in winter. Make sure to provide it with sufficiently drained and deep soil.
Potted
Washingtonia :
Place a drainage layer of about 5 cm at the bottom of the pierced pot;
Fill with a light mixture (¾ sand and ¼ potting soil) then water.
Washingtonia robusta is particularly resistant to wind, drought and sea spray and tolerates all types of soil, even limestone, poor and relatively humid in winter. Copyright (c) 2023 Studio Peace/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
How to maintain
Washingtonia robusta
?
Watering:
Water copiously in hot weather to accelerate growth;
Repotting:
Opt for a larger container as soon as the roots emerge from the pot because this palm produces a large root system. Fill with your garden soil mixed with good potting soil;
Pruning:
Cut the dry palm fronds a few centimeters from the stipe or allow the skirt of dry leaves to form;
Wintering
: Raise the palm fronds and surround the heart with mats to protect it from frost. Otherwise, bring the subject into a cold greenhouse in a bright, ventilated and cool place. After the end of the frosts, gradually expose it to the sun to avoid the appearance of red spots due to burns on the foliage.
This species is susceptible to the palm moth
Paysandisia archon.
What are the differences between
Washingtonia filifera
and
robusta
?
The light green petioles of the filifera reach 2 m with thin orange spines. Copyright (c) 2022 svf74/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
Be careful, hybridizations are common and result in subjects with mixed characters!
The stipe of W.
robusta
is much thinner
than that of
filifera
whose base resembles an elephant's foot! The latter retains its dried palms and forms a petticoat down to the ground in the absence of pruning while
robusta
retains its brown petticoat only at the top;
Reddish petioles in
W. robusta
barely exceed 1.50 m in length and bear broad, hooked thorns while those of
filifera,
light green,
reach 2 m with thin orange thorns. The gray-green crown thus reaches 4.50 m in diameter with less circular palms than in
Robusta;
The long, arching inflorescences of
filifera
are more spectacular than
robusta
and flesh-colored.