Washingtonia filifera , California Fan Palm Sprouts!

Today I went out to check on a few of the seed bins that I have started recently, and to my suprise I had a bin full of new Washingtonia filifera , or California Fan Palm sprouts. Hands down these have to be the fastest palm seeds to germinate. Back on July 14, I planted around 30 seeds that I had collected from a huge filfera. Here are a few pictures. The first is of the mother tree I collected the seeds from. The next is the bin inside a black plastic bag, and the last are the spouts inside.

Washingtonia filifera , California Fan Palm

The Washingtonia filifera , or California Fan Palm can be distinguished by the thicker, nearly always straight trunk, the crown is also larger and relatively sparser than its very close rwlative the Washingtonia robusta, or Mexican Fan Palm. The leaves a more sea green, as opposed to the deep green of the Mexican fan palm. The petioles are always green--no red or brown in the petioles as there always is in the Mexican palms. It is a slower grower and seems to top out at around 60', while the Mexican palms can get up to 100' tall. Interspecies hybrids are extremely common and tend to have a bit of characteristics of both palms, thick trunks, but full heads and red on the petioles. Some palm researchers consider these two the same species. These specimens are located in downtown Fort Pierce. Driving around we have hundreds of the Mexican Fan Palms, but these 4 palms are massive. I have collected some seeds from these trees and can only hope that mine grow this big!

Washingtonia Filifera , California Fan Palm , Petticoat Palm

These Washingtonia filifera , California Fan Palm , or Petticoat Palms were my very first sprouts from seeds I planted. These also have been the fastest growing palms yet from my sprouts. Most of these have there full 2nd leaf in. The first sprout is from 2/4, and then the second sprout picture is from 2/11. The rest follow from 2/27, 3/4, 3/26, 3/30, and the finally 4/12.

My Palm Tree Sprouts and Seedlings

Tonight's post has been 3 months in the making. Palm Trees are the beginning cause to my gardening addiction. To keep from getting things to confusing I am going to do a few posts in a row to show the progress of my different palms. This first post is going to show the growth of the entire seedling rack that my friend J Lead-Lo and I built for the seedling pots I purchased. The first picture are some of the palm seeds I started on 1/10, then we have the collars and pots the day they came in the mail 1/20, next is 2/13, the night we finished the seedling stand. Now the first Phoenix canariensis , Canary Island Date Palm ,or for typing purposes CIDP , seedlings move in on 2/14. Now for the sad part of the project. Cuttin' and pastin' all the pictures into the proper folders I lost the 2/20 sprout pictures so this part of the story will be missed. But the next shot is from 2/27 and it shows the CIDP at the bottom of the screen, Washingtonia Filifera , California Fan Palm ,or CFP are the four running up the right side with the first strap leaf and spikes just past. Then the left 3 rows from the white marker up to the top of the picture are Adonidia merrillii , Christmas Palm ,or XP these guys at this point just have a little spike breaking the dirt. Then the pictures correspond with the following dates 3/4, 3/12, 3/26, and then on 4/12 I had new sprouts move in. But I will get into those in the other posts.