Stats

Lifespan

80-250 yrs

Size

Huge

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Desert oasis

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This towering palm grows in the desert oases of the southwestern United States. Its dead leaves form a thick skirt around the trunk that provides shelter for small animals.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Arecales

Family

Arecaceae

Genus

Washingtonia

Species

Washingtonia filifera