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central_cali369

Old Jubaea at Fresno City College

Central_Cali369
10 years ago

Hey guys,

I drove by Fresno City College this weekend for about the 1000th time this year and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a large non-phoenix pinnate palm on the west lawn of the old administration building on Van Ness Ave. Of course, I had to loop around and get a better look. It turns out there is a large Jubaea Chilensis that has been growing there since the early 1900s (judging by when the building was constructed and the size/age of other large trees such as monterey pines, phoenix canariensis and bunya bunyas.) I was under the impression that Fresno did not have a history of growing exotic palms. This one must have been one of the many Jubaea that were planted at the turn of the century that dot the state of California, from the one growing in the state capitol in Sacramento, to the pair in Fremont, Point Richmond, San Francisco and the score of old Jubaea in Southern California.

Here is a photo of the old palm. There is also a smaller palm that looks to be a hybrid of some sort. The leaf shape and the way the boots arranged on the trunk are reminiscent of Butia. I wonder if it's a natural hybrid that occurred at some point.

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