One of the first thing a UA newcomer notices is the mall, lined with stately palm trees. What they don’t know (but should) is that those large palms are California Fan Palms, they can live for over 150 years, and they’re members of the palm family, Arecaceae. Growing up to 50 ft tall, these trees can form impressive trunks over 3 ft in diameter. The large, fan shaped leaves, or fronds, can be over 6 ½ feet wide. They may not seem that large up in the tree, but each frond can weigh over 20 lbs. The fronds will stay on the tree after they die, and if they are not trimmed off, they form what looks like a long beard known as the palm “skirt.” The skirt can stretch the entire length of the tree and is thought to make the tree frost resistant, but most people choose trim it off. Native to southwest California and Arizona, the California fan palm was used extensively by Native Americans for food, thatch, and fiber for rope. These old trees give the U of A its distinct appearance and are worth admiring.
