Fan Palms

Photos by Lisa E White

Desert (or California) fan palms are the only palm trees native to Arizona, found in a little canyon in Southwestern Arizona.  In Scottsdale, though all palms are transplants, it sometimes feels as if we live in an oasis.  I love the variety of palms and tropical feel that they provide, especially the silhouettes in the sunrises (see blog of Apr. 25) and sunsets, and the criss-crossed pattern of old fronds on the tall, narrow, limbless trunks.  The first photo above shows a fan palm from my backyard caught in one of those surreal moments during a storm when a glint of evening light filters through the clouds at a low angle, giving it an eerie glow.  The second two photos are from a house on Sweetwater near 103rd Street which had nearly a hundred palms in the yard, and when it went through foreclosure, water was shut off for nearly a year.   Over half the palms survived, showing their drought resistance.  Palms are excellent plants for the desert because they love the heat, can take cold down to 20 degrees, need little water, and don't mind bad or salty soil.  Roots are seldom a problem, and they don't shed leaves, though they do have little black fruits that can get messy once a year.  Many new housing developments, especially in the McDowells, forbid planting any non-native plants or trees, including palms.  However, the many resorts in Scottsdale more than make up for that palm tree shortage.  (See other beautiful palm trees in blogs of Mar. 16, Apr. 25, May 6, June 19, and July 28.)