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This tree is unusual because it develops an\nunusually thick trunk, grows very slowly, and produces sap that can be used to\nmake wine. The tree becomes rather too tall at maturity (eighty feet,\npotentially) for my garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, learning\nabout the Chilean Wine Palm enticed me into exploring the world of palm trees. This\ncolumn provides only a brief introduction to these interesting trees, which are\nwidely used in California\u2019s landscapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palm trees\nare members of the botanical family Arecaceae, with some 2,600 species. Several\ndifferent plants are included in this family; only the tree-form plants are\ncalled palm trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Types of\npalm trees can be grouped by the form of their leaves, which are called fronds.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Palmate\nleaves are characteristic of fan palms. The leaf parts radiate outward from a\ncentral area. <\/li>
- Pinnate,\nwhich is the most leaf form, resembles a feather with a central rib, with the\nends divided into individual leaflets. <\/li>
- Bipinnate\nfronds resemble a fish tail. <\/li>
- Entire\nfronds, which are the least common form, resemble pinnate leaves but are not divided\nat their ends into individual sections. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
There are quite\na few palm trees in Santa Cruz. If you deliberately look for them while driving\nabout, you will notice many trees and several different varieties. Some of the\nmore recognizable varieties growing locally are the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Mexican Fan Palms (Washintonia fillifera) along the Santa Cru Boardwalk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana). Several of\nthese very popular trees have been planted fairly recently, particularly near\nthe Wharf\/Boardwalk area. They line the main street of Capitola Village. Pinnate\nfronds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mexican Fan\nPalm (Washingtonia robusta). This is the tree along Beach Street. In 1962,\nformer Boardwalk president Laurence Canfield planted 42 trees on this street\nand donated them to the City of Santa Cruz. These trees can grow 100 feet tall\nand live for 100 to 150 years. Palmate fronds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
California\nFan Palm (Washingtonia fillifera). These are the only palms native to the west.\nCompared with the Mexican Fan Palm they grow shorter (about sixty feel tall)\nand develop thicker trunks. A good specimen can be seen on Morrissey Boulevard,\nnear Fairmount Street. Palmate fronds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Canary\nIsland Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis). These trees can grow to sixty feet\ntall, with canopies thirty feet across. A fine specimen is in the garden of the\nSanta Cruz City Hall, reportedly planted by birds many years ago. Also, a pair\nof these trees is at the Darling House, on West Cliff Drive. Pinnate fronds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For an\nextensive catalog of local palm trees, with photos and descriptions, visit\nPeter Shaw\u2019s blog, http:\/\/treesofsantacruzcounty.blogspot.com<\/a>. Dr. Shaw is Horticulture Department Chair at\nCabrillo College, and a self-confessed tree guy. His blog also includes\ninformation on a wide range of trees in addition to palm trees that can be\nfound in Santa Cruz County. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The large\nfamily of palm trees include a great diversity of shapes and sizes, so one or\nmore of these plants might bring a welcome look to your landscape. In any\nevent, you can appreciate these icons of tropical environments in our community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While browsing an online update from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, I discovered the Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis), which is interesting to me because my garden includes a section for Chilean plants. Santa Cruz also has at least two … Continue reading