These stately desert trees provide food for present desert animals and they provided that and much more for the early inhabitants of the region. The fruit is borne on clusters of stalks which appear around this time of year. The dark tiny round pea-like "dates" become heavy as they mature and weigh down the stalks as they ripen. During a good year, one mature tree may provide up to two hundred pounds of fruit. Each comparatively large seed is covered by a fleshy sweet tasting covering. I have eaten some of these fruits which taste like the larger date from the date palm. Of course, the Cahuilla delighted in this sweet fruit, which they ate whole or in a tea-like concoction. They also dried, stored and ground the fruit to make a flour, which they used in sweet cakes. Palm fronds were used as thatch, the fronds made into cooking utensils, the fiber used in baskets, sandals and many other items. During drought, even the pith was used as food.
In nature, these trees occur in clusters, new seedlings constantly arising from seed until a "palm forest" is produced. There is a dense growth of palms adjacent to the Dos Palmas Reserve, near the Salton Sea...what fun to hike through it!
In our garden, what we first thought were all filiferas were locally purchased in one gallon pots. Having no idea of nature's cluster principal, we closely grouped our little trees just because it was easier to irrigate in groups. We copied nature's plan by mistake! The trees were so small, rabbits nibbled at them and we had to put chicken wire screens around all of them. They have all matured and we love the natural appearance they create in the garden. But BEWARE! Some turned out to be Washingtonia robusta, some were filifera and others a hybrid between the two. A member of the Native Palm Society told me it was difficult to identify a filifera until they become more mature and you can see the more fibrous nature of the palm.
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