This tall, slender palm is the Mexican Fan Palm, commonly known as Washingtonia robusta. It belongs to the palm family, Arecaceae, and is native to northwestern Mexico. Current taxonomic treatment by Kew places it as Washingtonia filifera var. robusta, although Washingtonia robusta remains the name most widely used in gardens and landscaping.

Mexican Fan Palm is known for growing rapidly and reaching impressive heights. Mature palms may rise 70 to 100 feet or more, while the trunk remains relatively narrow. This combination of great height and slenderness gives the palm its characteristic skyline silhouette.

The trunk is usually broader near the base and gradually narrows as it rises. Its surface is marked by rings or scars left behind when old leaves fall.

If dead leaves are not removed, they may remain hanging beneath the crown and form a dense brown covering around the upper trunk. This hanging mass is sometimes called a “skirt.” It can provide shelter for birds, bats and insects, although it may also become a fire hazard in developed landscapes.

At the top of the trunk is a rounded crown of large, fan-shaped leaves. Each leaf is divided into many narrow segments radiating outward from the end of a long stalk.

Fine, pale threads may peel away from the edges of the leaf segments, although these fibers are generally less abundant than those of the closely related California Fan Palm.

The leaf stalks are armed with sharp, curved teeth, particularly near their bases. For that reason, fallen or low-hanging leaves should be handled carefully.

The flowers are small, creamy white and carried on long, branching stalks that may extend beyond the leaves. Although the individual blossoms are modest, they attract bees and other insects.

After flowering, the palm produces great numbers of small, rounded fruits. These begin green and mature to dark brown or nearly black. Birds eat the fruits and disperse the seeds, and seedlings may appear readily beneath mature palms.

Mexican Fan Palm is often confused with the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera. Mexican Fan Palm generally has a taller, more slender trunk and a smaller, more compact crown. California Fan Palm is usually shorter and more massive, with a thicker trunk and more conspicuous threadlike fibers along the leaves.

The two species also hybridize where they are grown together, so some cultivated palms display a combination of features and can be difficult to identify with certainty.

Mexican Fan Palm tolerates heat, wind, drought and a range of soils once established. Its rapid growth and dramatic height have made it a familiar street and landscape palm in warm regions around the world.

Its success can sometimes become a problem. The numerous fruits and readily germinating seeds allow it to spread beyond cultivation in suitable climates.

This palm is impressive less for the details of its flowers than for its extraordinary proportions. A very narrow trunk supports a crown high above the surrounding landscape, creating the classic image of a tall palm against an open sky.

When presenting it to a group, the most useful features to emphasize are its height, slender trunk, fan-shaped crown and the hanging skirt of old leaves that may form beneath it.