| California Fan Palm | |
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The only palm native to the western United States, Washingtonia filifera occurs in several fine stands in Joshua Tree National Park. These ones grow in Cottonwood Spring, in a sheltered pocket canyon near the southern edge of the park. This is everything an oasis is supposed to be: cool, moist, and filled with birdsong.
Palms grow where water is, and typically in this part of California springs mark the site of geologic faults. Here's a story from Desert USA about three of those palm oases.
(c) Copyright 2002 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com, Inc.
