Washingtonia is one of Arécacées (palm trees). It was named thus in the honor of the US president George Washington.
Classification
It divides its subgroup with 11 other kinds: Acoelorraphe , Brahea , Pritchardia , Serenoa , Livistona , Colpothrinax , Copernicia , Pholidocarpus , Johannesteijsmannia , Licuala , Pritchardiopsis
Habitat and distribution
It is originating in the South-west of the the United States (California, of the south-west of the Arizona) and of the North-West of the Mexico, where it develops in colonies, in the throats and the wet canyons of the arid areas.
The two species are very cultivated apart from their natural habitat, in particular in the moderated countries, for their good cold resistance which borders them - 10°/-12°C. They have moreover one very fast growth and are often planted in the cities and the gardens for their decorative value.
Description
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Feather-grass: the feather-grass is thick and can reach more than twenty meters height.
- Sheet S: the sheets are webbed, with a petiole prolonged by a round palm made up of many leaflets.
- Inflorescence : the flowers are bisexual. They are overlapping in a very dense inflorescence.
- Fruit S: the fruits are Drupe S. Parvenus to maturity, they take a color chestnut-black. They measure from 6 to 10 mms in diameter. They are composed of a single seed covered with a fine layer of flesh.
Use
The Amerindians used their sheets as thatch and made flour with the fruits of the Washingtonia will filifera , which are edible and have nutritive good qualities. Archaeological excavations made it possible to discover instruments which formerly made it possible to grind the fruits to obtain this flour.
Species
The kind Washingtonia comprises two S:
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Washingtonia will filifera (Linden ex André) H.Wendl
- Washingtonia robusta H.Wendl
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