Syagrus romanzoffiana queen palm

Syagrus romanzoffiana. John Rawlings, c. 2005

This feather palm, formerly in the genus Arecastrum, has branches well over 10 feet long with pinnae an inch wide and over a foot long. Clusters of 1-inch orange dates follow the waxy flowers, which come in long panicles tucked between the leaves. The dates contain a stone showing the monkey face that is seen on coconuts. The gray bark is relatively smooth and ringed with ridges at intervals so that the trunk looks as though it has been turned in a lathe.

A specimen stands just north of Buildings 1 and 10. See three at 625 Mayfield Avenue. In Palo Alto, see it at 333 Miramonte Avenue. One used to grow in the inner southwest island in the Inner Quad adjacent to the entrance to Memorial Church, but was removed at some point after 2003 (see all versions of the Inner Quad tree map).