Washingtonia filifera var. robusta (Mexican Fan Palm)

Native to northwestern Mexico, this fast-growing palm can reach about 100 feet tall. It has a slender trunk, large fan-shaped leaves, and sharply toothed leaf stalks. Dead leaves may form a skirt around younger trunks. Cream-colored flowers hang in long clusters, followed by small black fruits whose seeds are dispersed by birds. It tolerates drought and salt. It has naturalized in Florida, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas and is invasive in California’s riparian areas. Photographed in Florida.