Washingtonia × filibusta Washingtonia hybrid palm

Washingtonia hybrid palm at EVGR Pavilion. Sairus Patel, 17 Feb 2023

Crosses of California fan palm (W. filifera) with its Mexican cousin (W. robusta) have been observed for decades, but it was only in 2014 that a hybrid name was formally published, and a rather cheeky one at that: W. filibusta. Sharpen your observation skills by trying to pick out its parents’ traits. The trunk does not flare prominently at its base as does W. robusta’s, yet it doesn’t get as thick as W. filifera’s. Its frond color and degree of gloss is intermediate between those characteristics of its parents. See 14 specimens, arranged formally, in and around Escondido Village Graduate Residences Pavilion’s semi-enclosed courtyard.