plants that look like palm trees Mexican Fan Palm Tree

Tall, towering beauty

Bring the tall, slender beauty of the Mexican Fan Palm to your home. Native to  Southern California and Mexico, it is commonly called Skyduster or Mexican Washingtonia, and will quickly grow tall and make itself a statement palm in your property. 

The thick canopy is filled with attractive, glossy green, fan-shaped fronds with divided leaflets near the ends. Each frond grows about 5 feet long with a spread of around 4 feet. If the colorful trunk and green canopy of fronds weren’t eye-catching enough, Mexican Fan Palms have the characteristic of developing a skirt of old fronds. The dead fronds bend down encircling the trunk creating what looks like a skirt. Adding color and interest are the reddish-brown, roughly textured, single trunks that eventually weather to gray. The Mexican Palm produces small, berry like fruits that attract birds and other wildlife. 

The Mexican Fan Palm quickly grows into a tall and stately tree so it won’t have you waiting years for it to put on some size. The palm matures to a height of 50 to 100 feet tall with a spread of around 10 to 15 feet. Trees average around 3 feet of new growth yearly. 

The Mexican Fan Palm can tolerate some cold, it is comfortable in temperatures down to 25°F. Anything below that may damage its fronds. If small enough, you can wrap its trunk with a heavy blanket and cover its fronds when colder than average temperatures arrive. This cold hardy giant stands tall during mild winters, making it the perfect palm to make the dream of having a tropical backyard a reality.

Their low-maintenance qualities and drought resistance give an added bonus to this fast growing tropical palm. It is useful in a variety of situations, making it an attractive accent tree, specimen, planted in groups, marking an entryway or used in the pool area. 

If you’re looking for an easy, tall, tropical beauty that will be the focal point in your home, the Mexican Fan Palm is for you.