Possible Cocos Nucifera growing outdoors in Compton, CA

[OC Phil]

Hi Im a new member although I have been lurking in Palmtalk for several years. I love the tree. Perhaps this palm is already known but recently, I was driving to Carson, Ca to see someone and on the way to their house I happened to glance off the street to see an unusual palm that took my attention. Judging by the base and the tall leaves, I could not believe that it might be a coconut palm growing outdoors, not against a wall and still living despite several years of recent drought and especially after this winter's constant cold and rain. I have seen cocos before in better climates and have somewhat an ability to identify. So based on my initial drive by ( I could not stop and there is no parking possible at this location) I returned yesterday after a month to get a closer look. I took a few photos and a short video to help assist more seasoned palm freaks at confirming my suspicion. I could be wrong, but no harm, no foul. However, if it is a cocos, it might qualify as the second most northerly outdoor cocos in California.

I will attach the photos from several angles and close up to aid in ID. Not sure if this site can post videos. I would be curious of your thoughts. It can also be found on google maps at the address I used when I saw it : 2425 Wilmington Ave. Compton, CA  These photos were as of yesterday. Upon walking up to it for the first time, I saw what appeared to be a sprinkler by the trunk which would have helped it with its moisture needs during the non rainy season. However, given its micro climate and non protection, it is an interesting find, presuming its a cocos.

OC Phil

[Darold Petty]

Looks like coconut to me, welcome to Palmtalk !  

[Alex High]

14 hours ago, OC Phil said:

Hi Im a new member although I have been lurking in Palmtalk for several years. I love the tree. Perhaps this palm is already known but recently, I was driving to Carson, Ca to see someone and on the way to their house I happened to glance off the street to see an unusual palm that took my attention. Judging by the base and the tall leaves, I could not believe that it might be a coconut palm growing outdoors, not against a wall and still living despite several years of recent drought and especially after this winter's constant cold and rain. I have seen cocos before in better climates and have somewhat an ability to identify. So based on my initial drive by ( I could not stop and there is no parking possible at this location) I returned yesterday after a month to get a closer look. I took a few photos and a short video to help assist more seasoned palm freaks at confirming my suspicion. I could be wrong, but no harm, no foul. However, if it is a cocos, it might qualify as the second most northerly outdoor cocos in California.

I will attach the photos from several angles and close up to aid in ID. Not sure if this site can post videos. I would be curious of your thoughts. It can also be found on google maps at the address I used when I saw it : 2425 Wilmington Ave. Compton, CA  These photos were as of yesterday. Upon walking up to it for the first time, I saw what appeared to be a sprinkler by the trunk which would have helped it with its moisture needs during the non rainy season. However, given its micro climate and non protection, it is an interesting find, presuming its a cocos.

OC Phil

That is 100% a coconut, fantastic find!!! I am obsessed with California coconuts and growing coconuts in marginal climates, this is amazing! It looks surprisingly good considering how exposed it is, I saw the one in Del Mar a number of weeks ago and it was pretty damaged from the winter. Compton has a great location, slightly inland so that it gets more heat than right by the ocean, but near enough to the ocean that it gets the coastal influence, plus it probably has an urban heat island effect. But that said this one is growing completely in the open, really cool to see one growing next to the street like that. Thank you so much for sharing! Here is the Google Maps link:

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8686992,-118.2357934,3a,15y,69.46h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-S3MFaLIoIJR1yz8QMloMA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Billy]

Good find! 

[Jim in Los Altos]

Great find! Looks like it’s survived several winters. 

[Palmiz]

Very nice find!! It would be cool to know who planted it and where where it was sourced from. I would love to try one out someday

[mnorell]

Great to see another Cocos trying to make it in the coastal basin.  The more inland location gives it some better odds at manufacturing a sufficient crown over the summer/early fall period, especially since that Long Beach-Compton inland area can get very hot in summer despite being in the coastal plain (and certainly much warmer than the old Newport Beach coconut suffered). Probably hotter than the location of the Santa Ana coconut, which I think manages a pretty decent appearance. One possible danger I see is that this Compton specimen has lost more than half its crown since the Google Street Maps picture was taken last year, and it is still in the midst of the cold spring season with copious overcast and chill of late. Still 4-6 weeks left of that before sustained "coconut-friendly" warmth hits it, and this is the traditional danger season for Cocos in coastal California, when they can collapse after six months of cold temps (or, more usually, holding on for a few years of that treatment, slowly dwindling). But that it's alive at all bodes well, I think it's rather amazing that this survived this really unusual cold fall-through-early spring period in California this year. So it may have some good genes, helped along by a western exposure and the adjacent concrete and asphalt. Also as Jim noted it has been in the ground since at least December 2020, so it should at least have a decent root-system and some adjustment to the climate. It would be great to have an attractive coconut on a major thoroughfare. Hope for a hot summer with some warm nights!

[jgi27]

Awesome find! If you go back to 2019, you'll see how fast it grew in 4 years! Is that a Foxtail growing right next to it? I wonder why they removed it..

[Little Tex]

11 minutes ago, jgi27 said:

Is that a Foxtail growing right next to it? I wonder why they removed it..

Its a queen, it probably didnt do well

[kylecawazafla]

Very cool! It looks like it took a beating after this winter. Hopefully the crown recovers this summer! I planted 3 Pacific Tall Coconuts from Hawaii as seedlings last spring in El Centro, CA, and they took a beating this winter but all managed to survive. Will post pictures later this summer if they start looking more photogenic. 

[kylecawazafla]

I'm not sure if you've seen this one already, but here is one in Santa Ana, CA.

 

more pics can be seen here:

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/36838058@N03/C87NNp5k5D

[poof]

On 5/21/2023 at 10:49 PM, OC Phil said:

Hi Im a new member although I have been lurking in Palmtalk for several years. I love the tree. Perhaps this palm is already known but recently, I was driving to Carson, Ca to see someone and on the way to their house I happened to glance off the street to see an unusual palm that took my attention. Judging by the base and the tall leaves, I could not believe that it might be a coconut palm growing outdoors, not against a wall and still living despite several years of recent drought and especially after this winter's constant cold and rain. I have seen cocos before in better climates and have somewhat an ability to identify. So based on my initial drive by ( I could not stop and there is no parking possible at this location) I returned yesterday after a month to get a closer look. I took a few photos and a short video to help assist more seasoned palm freaks at confirming my suspicion. I could be wrong, but no harm, no foul. However, if it is a cocos, it might qualify as the second most northerly outdoor cocos in California.

I will attach the photos from several angles and close up to aid in ID. Not sure if this site can post videos. I would be curious of your thoughts. It can also be found on google maps at the address I used when I saw it : 2425 Wilmington Ave. Compton, CA  These photos were as of yesterday. Upon walking up to it for the first time, I saw what appeared to be a sprinkler by the trunk which would have helped it with its moisture needs during the non rainy season. However, given its micro climate and non protection, it is an interesting find, presuming its a cocos.

OC Phil

just incredible. Our winters aren't too friendly to coconuts :0

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

Nice to see another Southern California Coconut Palm.  It's amazing that it could have survived such a cold and wet winter.  I wonder if they protected it at all during the winter?  It would be nice to know the variety and where they got it from.

 John

[jgi27]

That location is less than 10 miles from the beach, with no mountains blocking the breeze. It probably gets a lot of moisture from the ocean, and that area can get really hot. I should try planting a C Nucifera here in the Valley.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Average temperatures are very mild in Compton. “Real” heat is rare though. 

[Alex High]

As far as SoCal goes that's just about the best area for coconuts, that belt close to the coast but inland enough that it gets a bit more heat. That and some of the low desert areas. By comparison, here is how the big coconut palm in Del Mar looked when I saw it in early April. That area is basically perpetually cool, right next to the ocean.