Washington robusta, cotton palm

The cotton palm, also known as the Mexican fan palm or the Californian fan palm has been used to turn both deserts and urban landscapes into supposedly tropical oases. It is native to Mexico.

It is found in the Order Arecales, Family Arecaceae and Sub-Family Coryphoideae according to its phylogenic classification. 

Its appearance is marked by a ringed trunk which, unusually for a palm, slightly tapers as it approaches the crown of the tree. The saw-toothed spined palmate leaves are green in color with a shiny appearance. As the tree grows, the leaves dry up and fall to form the skirt below the new glossy leaves. The evergreen plant can be spotted with cotton like threads on its young leaves which illustrate where the name “cotton palm “originated.

 It is estimated that the tree can reach a height of over 30 meters, the trunk can have a maximum of 20-30 cm width below the crown and the leaves can grow to no more than 2 meters in length or width. Its leaves collect to form a fan shaped structure which bear berries distributed by animal dispersion. 

The cotton palm tree can grow well in any type of soil but it grows faster in well-drained soil. They are mostly found in areas with difficult environmental conditions. It is found in its native Mexico and certain parts of America like Florida, Arizona and California as well as further abroad.

This tree can be grown from a seed which takes close to two months to germinate. The shape of the leaves is designed in such a way that they reduce the rate of water loss through evaporation. It helps it to cope in deserts and semiarid regions. It can survive in temperatures as low as -6⁰C. The palm may lose its fronds in such harsh conditions and grow them back from stored energy.

They can be grown at home in pots and vases before they are introduced to the ground. These palms are available commercially as seedlings to grow as ornamentals. They are hardy and can survive most soil types.

It is used for its shade, landscaping (street, buildings and homes), groupings and groves mostly in open-space public areas. They can be used in gardens to add aesthetic appeal which naturally comes at the sight of the cotton palm.  

They are habitats for certain animals like rats who seek refuge under the dry leaves which form a skirt at the mid-section. The skirt is manually removed so that it does not hold harmful pests and also for the ultimate beauty of the tree. The trees can be affected by certain infections which can be denoted by drying of the leaves, change of trunk appearance and change of leaf color. One distinguishable character of the tree is the mysterious curving of the trunk in some Washingtonia robusta.