Brahea edulis Guadalupe palm

Pair of Brahea edulis at the Mausoleum. Sairus Patel, 29 Sep 2018

Brahea edulis at Rains Houses. Irene Beardsley, 25 Apr 2005

This delightful fan palm of modest stature is from Guadalupe Island, the westernmost point of Mexico – within the California Floristic Province, even if not within our state’s political boundaries. It tolerates a wide range of growing conditions, reaching about 10 feet relatively quickly before slowing down – perfect for a more relatable, human-scale experience compared to its towering cousin, the Mexican fan palm. Campus’s oldest specimens, a pair just north of the Mausoleum, were reportedly shipped from Baja California to Stanford around 1900, and stand today, remarkably, at only 17 feet tall. They were originally planted at the first women’s dormitory and were transplanted in 1996 to make room for the new Sequoia Hall. A more recent specimen (2021) stands in front of the Mausoleum, in the lawn on the left, replacing a monkey puzzle at that spot.

Cream-colored clusters of flowers give way to dark, perfectly round fruit about an inch wide, borne in profusion and reputedly edible (hence edulis). The leaf stalks bear tiny spines, easily traced with a finger, nothing like the formidable armature of its cousin B. armata.

An intimate group of about a dozen, varying in height, grows on the west side of Branner Hall’s north wing. The trunks all tilt slightly at the base, making them look like a group of people standing about at a party, chatting, leaning this way and that. They gently self-sow, explaining the different sizes, a seedling occasionally coming up just under the native buckeye about 60 feet away. Other examples are at Rains Houses near the community building, next to a tall Mexican fan palm; a couple appear to have grown from seed in the central circle. A solitary specimen stands behind Lasuen (572 Mayfield Avenue).