VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Washingtonia filifera | California Palm 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Many animals live in close association with California palm.  Amphibians
such as the canyon tree frog and Pacific tree frog frequent the hydric
zone and nearby boulders beneath palms.  Various rodents use the palm's
shag for cover.  A species of rat snake (Elaphe rosalica) depends upon
the shag for shelter and food (rodents).  Oases attract numerous species
of birds because of the relative abundance of food, shelter, and nesting
sites as compared to open desert.  Hooded orioles use fibers from older
palm leaves as nesting material [32], often constructing nests within
the palms [11].  Gray fox and various birds and rodents eat the fruit,
and the fruit is the main component in the fall diet of coyote
[6,32,40,].

California palm oases were used as cattle rangeland from 1911 to 1913,
and were grazed by sheep in the late 1940's [40].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
California palm fruits, including seeds, contain 348 calories per 100
grams.  Percentages by weight of several nutrients in fruits (including
seeds) are as follows [8]:

     protein         3.1         
     fat             2.8         
     carbohydrate   77.7
     fiber          10.4
     ash             5.4          
 
Milligrams per 100 grams of several other nutrients in fruits (including
seeds) are as follows [8]:

     calcium       110
     phosphorus     89
     iron            7.8
     carotene      180
     thiamine        0.06
     vitamin C       0.13
     niacin          1.0
     riboflavin      0.13


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
California palm is greatly valued as a landscaping ornamental [12].

Kamia and Cahuilla Indians selected California palm oases for village
sites.  The oases provided sources of water, food, and shade.
California palm vegetative buds, flowers, and fruits were utilized as
food.  The fruits, resembling commercial dates in taste, were eaten
fresh or dried; some dried fruit was made into meal.  Leaves were used
as thatching.  Sandals, clothing, and baskets were fashioned from leaf
fibers.  Spoons and hunting bows were made from the petioles.  The wood
was used for kindling.  Because of historical use by Indians, California
palm oases are important archeological sites [25,26,32].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Many California palm oases have been destroyed by agricultural and urban
development.  Others have been eliminated due to loss of oases water
sources.  California palm is sensitive to any change in water level;
either a lowering of water tables or the innundation of root systems may
kill plants [40].  Groundwater pumping by the town of Twenty-nine Palms,
California may be partially responsible for the 10-foot (3 m) drop in
the watertable at some sites of nearby Joshua Tree National Monument
[1].  California palms in the Monument's Oasis of Mara are threatened by
the drying up of the spring feeding the oasis [1,41].  Other
phreatophytes competing for limited water resources can also greatly
effect how much water will be available to palms.  Increases of mesquite
in the understory of the Oasis of Mara are probably an additional cause
of the watertable drop [1].  Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), a strongly
competitive exotic with an extremely high evapotranspiration rate, can
dry up or reduce the yield of oases seeps and springs [4].  Saltcedar is
displacing California palm in some areas [31,40].  (See the FEIS
write-up on Tamarix ramosissima for information regarding the control of
saltcedar.)  Near the San Andreas Fault, palms receiving percolating
water through rock fractures sometimes perish when the fault shifts,
eliminating or relocating seeps [32].

Harmful agents:  California palm is resistant to most fungal and
bacterial infections [26].  A crown rot (Penicillium vermoeseni)
sometimes infects trees that have been injured by lightning strikes or
fire.  Lightning-injured trees may be difficult to detect because palms
do not generally show lightning disfigurement [18].  Palms, however, are
occasionally decapitated by lightning [39].  California palm is the
specific host of the giant palm borer beetle (Dynapate wrightii).
Larvae of this insect feed on the wood [26,32] and can weaken or kill
trees [8].

Outlying California palm oases are popular destinations for hikers,
four-wheel drive, and dune-buggy enthusiasts.  Vegetational disturbance,
vandalism, and theft of Indian relics by unscrupulous recreationists are
of continuing management concern [32].

Cultivation:  California palm is easily grown from seed.  The seed is
adundant; it stores and germinates well, and seedlings transplant easily
[12,25].  Information on seed processing, storage, and germination
techniques and seedling care is available [19].

Related categories for Species: Washingtonia filifera | California Palm