Saturday, September 16, 2006
Canary Islands Date Palms Under Threat in L.A.
We do conger up images of Los Angeles and California as the "typical" view with swaying palm trees, which we suppose to be native there. In fact, the majority - 1,520 of them - are actually Canary Islands date palms, thought to have been imported by the founder of the California Franciscan missions.
Junipero Serra, apparently, stopped in the Canary Islands to buy seeds and cuttings, including the Canary Islands date palm, on his way to visit the pueblo of Los Angeles a year after its founding in 1781.
Now, 42% of Los Angeles Canary Islands date palms are thought to be infected with the exotically named pink crown rot virus. Replacing them would be an expensive hobby, at $20,000 per plant, possibly because there are so few.
Here in the El Palmar valley, one of the very few places where you can still find them in their natural habitat, though I have never walked around and counted them, I'd be willing to bet that there are less here than there are in LA.
Plus, LA city officials argue that broadleaf trees such as the oak offer more shade, help clean the air more, and retain more water. That may be so, but personally, I couldn't imagine Los Angeles without palm trees any more than I could imagine the Canary Islands without palm trees, could you?
Los Angeles dispatch: Palm offensive
