Palm Pride at the San Diego Zoo

The botanical collection at the San Diego Zoo is huge and would cost more to replace than the animals.   Pick up a map just inside the entrance showing the names of all the palm and cycad varieties.   The first picture above shows a favorite of Chris, my new found friend at the zoo.  Chris is a volunteer with the education department who helps with the “Sunrise Surprise Strolls”.   Last month she showed me a giant exotic palm and told me all about it.  On Saturday I ask which was her favorite.  She said the one near the Children’s Zoo entrance (first picture).   I still learning names so need help with names for those pictured.  Leave a comment and let me know.  I’ll guess the last picture is a phoenix dactylifera, ‘date palm’.

Possible Canary Island Date Palm in San Diego

My neighbor has this beautiful date palm in the front yard.  I have searched with Google and decided it may be a Canary Island Date Palm, also called a Pineapple Palm or officially the phoenix canariensis.   Can anyone confirm my guess?

Palm trees everywhere and more on the way

Palm trees are nearly everywhere you look in San Diego. Residents see so many that we often just blank them out. Here is a typical neighborhood grove of the native species Washingtonia filifera. Their seeds spread everywhere with little palms popping up like weeds.