An Afternoon Downpour

What a month! Four free softwater car washes...this afternoon, in under one hour, 1.2 iches of rain fell. I'll bet many Borregans are driving through the area partaking in a popular pastime...checking out the town after a storm. It is safe to turn off the irrigation systems...at least for a couple of days! Thanks again to my rapid responder neighbor who owns an official weather station.

Part One, Cercidium or Palo Verde Trees

Cercidium...The Palo Verde Trees
Growing outside the walls in our desert garden are three different types of Palo Verde trees. Why "outside the walls ", one may ask. The reply...because these trees, though gorgeous, are thorn laden and shed heaps of leaves, flowers and litter. In other words, they are what I would call "messy". I certainly would make sure they were NEVER planted near a swimming pool! However, their structure, trunk color, attention grabbing floral display, shade producing quality and low water requirements make them welcome in any desert garden. Birds absolutely love these trees and, that fact alone, makes them important for any native garden. Alas, though, they all require maintenance.

A Filifera Idea 4

I feel I must express my feelings regarding this iconic tree. Some Borregans, in preparation to building on a new lot or as an addition to an existing garden, have planted these trees, and, for one reason or another, have ceased taking care of them. There is nothing that causes me pain as much as seeing a magnificent tree die of neglect.

Scattered here and there throughout Borrego are forlorn examples of this neglect...wispy tiny shoots of green atop a large brown trunk...lone sentinel stumps without the crown of green...How it hurts to see them.

A note posted on the community bulletin boards might reveal there is someone out there who will nurture and care for it plus feel lucky to obtain a mature specimen. There a many heavy equipment operators in Borrego Springs that have experience in moving and replanting trees. Their numbers are listed in the Blue Book!

Washingtonia filifera 3

Washingtonia filifera has a thick and sturdy trunk, heavy leaves, graceful long clusters of fruit on long stalks, is fibrous and, in nature, is surrounded by a thick "skirt". The slimmer and taller growing Washingtonia robusta's leaves and fronds are more open and fruiting branches are often blown off the tree , but both have shiny dark green leaves that seem to create an aura of their own when in bright sunlight.

Interestingly, filifera seem to pop up wherever there is water in the garden and no wonder! I have seen these trees filled with California Mountain bluebirds feasting on the fruit and have found coyote scat filled with the seeds.

The trees do best with moderate water. We feed ours once a year, in summer and trim them after the fruiting season ends. We do not let ours develop skirts, but trim the leaves off as they die. As they grow taller, a professional trimming service will probably need to be hired to do the work. After one twelve foot mishap, no more ladders for us! New seedlings are easy to dig up for transplant.

There are many native stands of filifera in Anza Borrego Desert State Park...one of the most popular trails is located above Palm Canyon Campground. That cluster of trees has experienced both fires and floods, yet renews itself as it has always done through though centuries. You have to admire Washingtonia filifera...one very tough species!

Monsoon Rain

Heavy rain fell for about an hour yesterday, resulting in .31 " precipitation...and about time! The extreme heat had played havoc with even desert natives. Now, the fine film of ash on the solar panels is gone and all the plants are clean and have received a healing gulp of water. We are thankful!

Washingtonia filifera 2...continued

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.

A Desert Native Tree...Washingtonia filifera

The next few series of posts will explore some varieties of native desert trees that you may like to include in your garden: ( Desert Fan Palm, one of four posts. )

The ancient ones said coyote planted the first trees. The oriole views this palm as his nesting place, desert animals view it as a food source, the Cahuilla viewed it reverently and called it maul...this desert tree we call Washingtonia filifera or native desert fan palm. This tree, whose fossilized remnants have been found as far north as Wyoming and dated back to 50 million years is the only native desert palm in California and is still growing robustly ( no pun intended ) in our own Borrego Springs desert ! There have been some differing opinions regarding the dating of these trees. If you think botanical research cannot be fun, I refer you to an article written by James Cornett: The Desert Fan Palm, Not a Relic and another article by Spencer, Winton: The Desert Fan Palm--Evidence Supports Relic Status. ( look them up online ) As any Palm Society member will agree, whether ancient or an "invading species ", they create an astonishingly great amount of interest!

As a recent curbside addition to Palm Canyon Drive, these trees were planted as an addition to other native plants along Borrego's main roadway. As expected, the trees drew criticism as well as admiration from residents. Some said they were going to use too much of our precious water supply. I'll have to admit, they do use water but these are trees you just HAVE to admire!

Historically, they have no peer as far as desert trees go. With heights up to sixty feet, they are, to the desert, what the giant sequoias are to northern California. Their fronds are up to six feet in width, with a fan of leaflets up to six feet. They grow in groups where ample water is available. They grow in bajadas, along streams, at river mouths...even in the badlands if a seep or groundwater is available. They quickly and thickly cluster together to form the idyllic desert oases we have all read about. They recover quickly from wildfires and floods and live to a great old age of two hundred fifty or more!