Do Mexican Fan Palms (or palms of the Washingtonia) grow naturally in Arizona? (Or the southwest US)

[PindoPalm]

I have noticed especially in spring many fan palms especially of the Washingtonia family start sprouting and growing without any help. Do they naturally grow in the southwest US? Just a question that popped in my head since they grow frequently in my yard in clumps of 20-30 or even more in spring.

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, PalmLover69 said:

I have noticed especially in spring many fan palms especially of the Washingtonia family start sprouting and growing without any help. Do they naturally grow in the southwest US? Just a question that popped in my head since they grow frequently in my yard in clumps of 20-30 or even more in spring.

There are a couple documented groves of CA. Fans / Washingtonia filifera  in AZ..  How they arrived / how long they have been here -naturally- is a bit debated.. W. robustra ( Mex. Fan ) isn't native to the state,  but is native not too far south of the border.. Is possible it did grow here, at some time in the past.

Other than that,  ..all our regionally native Brahea sps,  and Sabal uresana  come from the other half of the Southwest, N. and W. Mexico, west of the Sierra Madre Occidental / Sur  ..and Baja.

In all areas of the N. American Southwest, our native palms will experience a growth spurt as winter ends / spring starts ..esp if it has been a wet winter.  Once Fore-summer sets in, growth slows ( ...But doesn't stop ) ..until Monsoon season arrives.

With cultivated specimens,  growth can continue at a pretty good clip through the pre- monsoon / fore summer season, if they are irrigated.

[Palmfarmer]

9 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

There are a couple documented groves of CA. Fans / Washingtonia filifera  in AZ..  How they arrived / how long they have been here -naturally- is a bit debated.. W. robustra ( Mex. Fan ) isn't native to the state,  but is native not too far south of the border.. Is possible it did grow here, at some time in the past.

Other than that,  ..all our regionally native Brahea sps,  and Sabal uresana  come from the other half of the Southwest, N. and W. Mexico, west of the Sierra Madre Occidental / Sur  ..and Baja.

In all areas of the N. American Southwest, our native palms will experience a growth spurt as winter ends / spring starts ..esp if it has been a wet winter.  Once Fore-summer sets in, growth slows ( ...But doesn't stop ) ..until Monsoon season arrives.

With cultivated specimens,  growth can continue at a pretty good clip through the pre- monsoon / fore summer season, if they are irrigated.

Interesting I wonder if any palms have naturalized in southern spain as well seeing how many they have planted out. 

[ahosey01]

On 3/27/2024 at 11:45 PM, PindoPalm said:

I have noticed especially in spring many fan palms especially of the Washingtonia family start sprouting and growing without any help. Do they naturally grow in the southwest US? Just a question that popped in my head since they grow frequently in my yard in clumps of 20-30 or even more in spring.

Go see the grove in Palm Canyon in Kofa NWA.  It's awesome.

[iko.]

On 3/28/2024 at 2:09 PM, Palmfarmer said:

Interesting I wonder if any palms have naturalized in southern spain as well seeing how many they have planted out. 

No need to go too far south. Washingtonia Robusta is quite a pest in certain areas in Eastern Spain. They multiply easily in abandoned orange orchards and create dense colonies along Ligustrum trees, another ornamental excessively planted by councils, Lantana and Lonicera. After some years, the land occupied by old orchards and now forest of tall Washingtonia palms gets re-zoned, all vegetation destroyed and they build apartments.

Phoenix canariensis grows well and randomly too in areas with ground water. And I have heard, Trachycarpus fortunei has naturalised in areas of Catalonia and Northern Spain. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Washingtonia seem to be everywhere here. They can pop up in just about any flower bed or yard, even cracks in sidewalks. I’m not sure if they are technically native plants but I consider them native. I have at least a couple every year that sprout in my garden. I have one large Robusta down at the bottom of my hill and that one sprouted in one of my neighborhood friends yard many years ago. I am about an hour north of Los Angeles. Harry

[Palmfarmer]

On 4/25/2024 at 4:09 PM, iko. said:

No need to go too far south. Washingtonia Robusta is quite a pest in certain areas in Eastern Spain. They multiply easily in abandoned orange orchards and create dense colonies along Ligustrum trees, another ornamental excessively planted by councils, Lantana and Lonicera. After some years, the land occupied by old orchards and now forest of tall Washingtonia palms gets re-zoned, all vegetation destroyed and they build apartments.

Phoenix canariensis grows well and randomly too in areas with ground water. And I have heard, Trachycarpus fortunei has naturalised in areas of Catalonia and Northern Spain. 

South has a lot of Phoenix Datilera, maybe they have naturalized there