The California Fan Palm is the only palm native to the western United States, forming iconic oases in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts wherever groundwater reaches the surface. Its large fan-shaped leaves die and droop downward, forming a distinctive 'skirt' around the trunk that provides nesting habitat for hooded orioles and various bats. Trees can live over 150 years and reach 75 feet tall. Desert oases created by this palm are biodiversity hotspots in an otherwise arid landscape.
Habitat
Desert oases, canyon bottoms, and springs in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of California and Arizona.
Diet
Fruits eaten by coyotes, ravens, and many migratory birds; the dead leaf skirt shelters roosting bats and nesting orioles.
How common
Uncommon
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