06/26/2026
Hello everyone and welcome back to Plant of the Week! This week we will be revisiting Washingtonia filifera, a relatively hardy palm species native to parts of California, Western Arizona and Northern Mexico. Washingtonia filifera is a solitary palm that can grow upwards of 18 meters tall with a deeply grooved, and rough, light grey to brown trunk that averages nearly a meter in diameter in mature specimens.
The canopy averages around 5 meters in diameter and is comprised of large grey-green, palmate leaves that range from 1.8 to 2.4 meters wide. These leaves have deeply segmented leaflets with loose fibrous threads that end in petioles that are nearly 2 meters long and have thorns that run throughout the length of them. Older leaves will also persist on the trunk for some time, creating a mass under the canopy that can remain for years if not manually removed by strong winds or other means.
The inflorescences, pictured here, will extend far beyond the canopy and droop several meters downward, housing small, white to cream colored flowers connected by green stalks that when pollinated will produce round, brown fruit about 1cm in diameter.
Washingtonia filifera is a drought tolerant species that needs to be in full sun to do its best and although individuals grown in collections rarely get to their maximum height, the individuals pictured here have been grown for 30 years and are still impressive landscape specimens.
The Montgomery Botanical Center Plant of the Week is made possible with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division.
