Washingtonia Showdown: Which palm do you prefer?

[CascadiaPalms]

Vote!

No filibusta.  Parent showdown only.

[JLM]

I like the look of both palms and generally prefer the look of the hybrid more so than either parent, but if i had to choose one or the other its definitely robusta for me.

[Harry’s Palms]

I like the Robusta for the slender trunk and fast growth . They pop up every where around here . This was a volunteer from a neighbor’s yard about 20 years ago. Harry

[Las Palmas Norte]

Those old scrawny 100' robustas look ridiculous. 

[MarcusH]

I'm a Filifera guy because I like the looks of its massive crown and trunk but I also like the Robusta.  I grow both of them in my yard.  Love washies.

 

[jwitt]

No contest

Sticking with the beast

[ZPalms]

I cant pick because I like them both equally for what they offer 😋

[Banana Belt]

Around this part of the country the Filifera appear more atractive than the Robusta, at least to me.  As for speed of growth there is very little difference except from just a broad overview the Filifera seems to grow faster than the Robusta, just the opposite of what it does in most of the country.  Robusta's around southwest Oregon look rather languished or lacking even though the will grow for many decades without ever getting tall.  The tallest Robusta around here is about 35 feet high and at least 60 years old as I remember it when I was a kid.  There are no Filifera's older than about 40 years as in the 1980's several very cold Arctic Blasts visited the Coastline and killed even the one I had.  It was cold enough to kill many Cannary Island Date Palms that were under 10 years old. 

My guess is that Robusta's need more heat than Filifera to look well and the Filifera in this area get all the water they want without so much heat which may be reason they grow fast.

[ChrisA]

I DON’T THINK I CAN CHOOSE!!!

 

If we’re talking in humid and more tropical areas, I’d go with robusta. Their green fronds are more lush, the red streaking adds interest to the lower part of the petiole, the sexy thin trunks that wend their way up into the sky, what’s not to like??

If I’m in the hot deserts of Arizona, I would choose the California fan Palm! A solid stately trunk, an enormous crown of large pallid green fronds that can reach 15’ wide (the crown I mean) and cast significant shade below, the sound of the wind going through the fronds; it’s a tough tree that is so well adapted to that environment!

Here in the subtropical, and humid part of Texas, I think robusta looks best. There are some very nice filiferas but it seems once they get old and tall, the trunk starts to rot away. Robusta might get killed in a cold snap, but outside of that they are gorgeous, easy palms to grow that look great in groups, and that deep green frond against a deep blue Texas sky can make you think you’re south of the Tropic of Cancer.

[Swolte]

Robusta looks more attractive, imo, however, they are not a long-term palm here (anymore). Unfortunately, they need to be mature to have the "deep green frond against a deep blue Texas sky" and them towering above some of the canopy of smaller trees. I'd rather go for Filifera or hybrids that will give it better chance to get to that stage (albeit less attractive). 

[Dwarf Fan]

Another skinny trunk robusta lover here. They remind me of  Palm covered beaches and Palapa bars made from their old shed fronds, located right on the beach sand throughout coastal Mexico.

[N8ALLRIGHT]

Tough choice, but for me I'm picking filifera. My location in zone 6 biases my judgement.

[fr8train]

I love the way a fat filifera looks with a skirt. 

The robustas that are extremely tall in LA are pretty incredible though.  It's too bad they freeze off here eventually. 

[NC_Palms]

Washingtonia filifera will always be superior. It does so much better for me than W. Robusta 

[conceptualizeme]

Filiferas. They are thicker, hardier (generally), and have the most jaw-dropping skirts.

[tarnado]

17 hours ago, conceptualizeme said:

Filiferas. They are thicker, hardier (generally), and have the most jaw-dropping skirts.

A fellow skirt lover, amen to that. The filifera do sport amazing skirts!

[tarnado]

Speaking of filifera vs robusta, there is a report of Washingtonia filifera in iNaturalist in the mountains rising up from the north end of Death Valley, at a place called 'Scotty's Castle' - but to my eye these don't look filifera - either robusta or filifera x robusta aka filibusta. Thoughts??? 

[jwitt]

49 minutes ago, tarnado said:

Speaking of filifera vs robusta, there is a report of Washingtonia filifera in iNaturalist in the mountains rising up from the north end of Death Valley, at a place called 'Scotty's Castle' - but to my eye these don't look filifera - either robusta or filifera x robusta aka filibusta. Thoughts??? 

Those are filifera 

[CascadiaPalms]

Showdown video will be complete after the holidays.

....still lots of edits, for example I need to lowercase robusta and filifera...I just saw that.   Whoops

Feedback from reddit, palm talk and facebook palm groups is nearly complete.  

here are a few preview shots....

will post on my youtube channel (shamless plug maybe, but I need to at least post the link so people know where to go)

https://www.youtube.com/@CascadiaPalms

[Banana Belt]

I looked up the word "Filifera" and found its Latin for "Thread Bearer".  I suppose the "Skirt" of dead leaves hanging down represents "Thread Bearrer".  Robusta is from Latin word Robustus meaning "Strong".  Why is the Mexican Fan Palm considered "Strong"? 

[jwitt]

Filifera=thread bearing=cotton palm