Identifying Texas Sabal and Washingtonia Palms

Living in the Rio Grande Valley, it's easy to take for granted the beauty of our native and naturalized palms.  There are many thousand varieties of palms and 15-20 of them are a common sight in this area.   I think we should all be able to identify the plants and trees growing in our landscapes - along with the birds and butterflies that frequent them.   One of the advantages to learning to identify different palm trees is that it makes you take a closer look at the plant, which leads to a greater appreciation of each palms unique characteristics.

Let's just talk about two of the most common palms down here - our native Texas sabal and the

Mexican Fan Palm

Mexican fan or washingtonia palm.   The untrained (or unobservant) eye would say they look the same.  They are both tall with large fan leaves.

The Mexican fan palm grows 36 inches a year, maturing at 80-100 feet.   Although it's not native, it has naturalized here.  Birds have spread the seeds through our brushlines and native habitat.   A few people even consider it invasive.  But it is a wonderful food source for many birds.  We have been lucky enough to observe a flock of small parrots feeding on the ripe fruit.  We kept hearing something hit the ground - it was the seed they spit out after consuming the fruit!   Mexican fan palms line the highways and many boulevards throughout south Texas.   It does well in parking lots, grouped in large open areas, and in the landscape of a tall building.   In a typical residential landscape, it may look more like a telephone pole than a palm.

Texas Sabal

Texas sabal palms are the only palm native to south Texas.   They grow from deep south Texas south to Central America.   Sabals are slower growers, adding 1 or 2 sets of fronds each growing season, which amounts to about a foot a year.   Mature height is 40 or 50 feet but I rarely see any taller than 20 - 25 feet.   It used to be rare to see one growing in the wild, but birds have done a great job of spreading seed.   Texans use sabal fronds when building palapas.    Sabals retain their 'boots' (leaf ends) for a very long time, giving the trunk a heavy cross-hatched look like the palm below.    It is both drought tolerant and salt-tolerant, making it a great choice for coastal plantings.









Similar but not the same.  Here are the differences to look for:

• Texas sabal has a smooth frond stem with no spines; Mexican fan has short, dark thorns along the base of the leaf stem.
• Texas sabal has larger fronds (5-8 feet wide) than the Mexican fan (3-5 feet wide)
• Texas sabal has a larger, fuller canopy.  
• Texas sabal trunk is thicker than a Mexican fan's - about 30" in diameter - and it is more likely to have its boots. 

Take my challenge to learn to identify different palm trees growing in south Texas!

Zoo or Arboretum?

Fall is a wonderful time to visit the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville.  The animals are okay but their plantings are what really interest me.  Today, my four year old grandson and I spent a few hours walking and playing at the zoo.  

They use lots of natives shrubs and trees with some  tropicals tossed into the mix.   The one thing all the plants seem to have in common is they're easy care and fairly drought tolerant. 

I thought this combo was especially striking.   Ti plant behind a line of firecracker bush.  I don't know what the small tree(s) on the right rear is - it looks similar to a Texas mountain laurel.  It was about to bloom and the flower seems to be white.   Here is an up close look at it below.

This planting bed also contains the mystery tree in the back right.  An orchid tree towers over the bed lined with ruellia. 

The canopy of this Kapok tree is a showstopper this time of year.    But most of the year it's the trunk that gets all the attention.

The thorns on this trunk always draw comments

Vasey's Adelia (above) is another showstopper.  I can't think of any native tree that I didn't see today: cedar elm, mesquite, Texas persimmons, chapote, ebony, Western soapberry, Texas sabal, and shrubs like pigeon berry, Turks cap, native poinsettia, and others  that I don't know by name  

This is another little tree I need to identify.  Check out the bloom below.  

Mesquite and bougainvillea - native and tropical - both staples in the Rio  Grande Valley

Texas Persimmons or Chapote tree.  This native is dioecious, meaning female and male flowers appear on different plants.  What it means to us is that we need a male and female tree if we want fruit.   The fruits have tons of seeds making them not to good for people-eating, but good for jellies.    

Persimmons fruits - they look like a miniature pomegranate

Texas sabals behind Huisache trees.  Great contrast in both color and texture.  

If you want to get to know the native trees, a trip to the Gladys Porter Zoo will give you an opportunity to see just about all of them!

Water-wise Gardening

With water shortages and restrictions implemented all over the state, it's always a good time to talk about water-wise gardening.    If you've heard the term xeriscaping, it's the same concepts.   The term, "xeriscaping" made people think of desert plants with rock mulches so many gardeners didn't think it was for them.   But water-wise gardens can be lush and opulent.  Check out the design below from Cactus Jack Designs.  

All the plants used in this landscape are low water users - well, with the exception of those Boston ferns in front bed - with or without those few ferns, this planting is both lush and welcoming
There are seven principles to a successful water-wise garden
1. Plan - determine where the dry and wet areas of the project are and group the plant material accordingly.
2. Prepare the soil - add organic material to sandy soils so they will retain moisture and add expanded shale (or similar small rock) to clay soils to loosen it and add cracks and crevices for water to run into
3. Plant selection - choose plants that can survive and flourish with natural rainfall. All plants will need additional irrigation at planting and while they are becoming established in their new home. They will also need supplemental irritations during extreme heat and winds. Of course. Native plants will work but so will many that have been cultivated from other areas. You need not worry about a lack of choices.
4. Mulch - bare soil wastes water through evaporation. Mulches conserve water for the plants use. My favorite mulch is native wood chips but you can use hay, rock, seashells, or groundcover plants.
5. Turf areas - lawn grasses are heavy water users. There is a movement to remove lawns but i cant imagine my yard with no lawn. It cools the ground and gives the eye a place to rest as it moves across the landscape. Make sure your sodded areas have a purpose (playing and picnics?) and that they are maintained in a responsible manner.
6. Efficient watering - not all plants need the same amount of watering. Group plants with like irrigation needs together. Like the ferns in the top photo - they would not be a good partner succulents, most palms, or native south Texas plants.
7. Appropriate maintenance - all gardens need care from time to time - pruning, dead-heading, mulching, watering - an hour here and there and you'll have paradise in your own backyard.