Naturalized Populations of the

Desert Fan Palm, , in

Death Valley National Monument

JAMES W. CORNETT Palm Springs Desert Museum P. O. Box 2288 Palm Springs, California 92263

Abstract

Four previously unreported populations of the Desert Fan Palm, Washingtonia fili- fera, have been located within the boundaries of Death Valley National Monument. Palm heights and absence of dead palms, beetle evidence, and historical references suggest the populations are of recent origin . Coyotes, , or humans undoubted- ly dispersed from ornamental plantings at Scottys Castle and Furnace Creek Ranch. Populations in Grapevine Canyon and at Grapevine Springs are the northernmost records of the species.

The Desert Fan Palm, Washing- Grapevine Springs, and Grapevine tonia filifera (Lindl .) Wendl., is re- Canyon in Death Valley National ported to be confined to springs and Monument (Fig . 1) . Both mature seeps in the Sonoran Desert of south- (-producing) and immature palms eastern California, western , occur at each location, indicating that and northeastern Baja California the trees were established and pro- Norte [Henderson, 1951 ; Shreve and ducing viable (Table 1) . The Wiggins, 1964; Brown et al., 1976] . absence of erect or prone dead palms, However, recently this species was of individuals taller than 15 m in identified as naturalized at four sites height, of evidence of the palm boring in southern Nevada [Cornett, 1987] . beetle (Dinapate wrightii), or histori- One of the sites, Warm Springs, lo- cal references suggest each of the cated approximatley 64 km northeast populations is of recent origin . of the Las Vegas, is the most north- erly record of the species . The loca- Nevares Springs Locality (NS) tions and descriptions of the four The site lies in the foothills of the other naturalized Desert Fan Palm Funeral Mountains and is near, but populations in Death Valley National not on, the floor of Death Valley (Fig . Monument are presented here with 2) . It is a thermal spring with water discussions regarding their origin, temperature of from 30 to 35°C status, and significance . [Hershler, 1987] . Most of the flow is underground and, as indicated by the In December of 1986 popula- riparian vegetation, conforms to the tions of W . f lifera were located at east-west alignment of Cow Creek . Nevares Spring, Travertine Spring, The palms appear at scattered locali-

167 Naturalized Populations of the Desert Fan Palm ties near the creek where moisture 1987] . The springs discharge suf- approaches within 3 m of the surface . ficient water to form a small stream The surrounding soils are young allu- that flows down Furnace Creek vial deposits and lacustrine mudstone, Wash. Surrounding soils are alluvial the latter being tuffaceous [McAllis- deposits of. varying ages and are ter, 1970] . White mineral deposits on assumed to be alkaline, as patches of the surface along with the associated white mineral deposits occur on the species shown in Table 2, sug- surface, and the associated plant gest that the soil is alkaline [Munz, species are known to occur on such 1974] . Daily maximum temperatures soils [Munz, 1974] . The nearest in July have been known to reach weather shelter is at Furnace Creek, 3 53'C, and winter minimums have km west and 123 m lower, where dropped to -7'C (U.S. Weather Bur- summer maximums have risen to eau, 1955] . Immediately adjacent to 57°C and winter minimums have Nevares Spring and Cow Creek are dropped to -9°C [Death Valley Na- the park maintenance facilities and tional Monument, 1983] . The nearest staff housing. Ornamental W filiferaa ornamental Desert Fan Palms are at are common around these structures Furnace Creek Ranch. and have been present since at least 1966 (Sonny Brunet, personal com- Grapevine Springs Locality munication, 10 December 1986) . (GVS). These springs lie on an ele- vated bench of alluvium along the Travertine Springs Locality western edge of the Grapevine Moun- (TS). The springs consist of a num- tains. Numerous seeps occur in this ber of seeps that also emanate from area, but palms occur only at three of the western foothills of the Funeral the sites (Fig. 4). Winter minimums Mountains (Fig . 3). Water tempera- are presumably lower than Nevares ture here reaches 32'C [Hershler, Travertine springs due to the higher

Table 1 Location, elevation, and number of Washingtonia filifera palms at four springs in Death Valley National Monument. M = mature palms; I = immature palms excluding seedlings .

No. W. filifera Elevation Spring Name M I Latitude (N) Longitude (W) (in meters)

Grapevine Canyon* 06 54 37°01'57" 117°2077" 974 Grapevine Springs 09 49 37'01112" 117'23'12" 735 Nevares Spring 12 45 36'30'41" 116'51'45" 69 Travertine Springs 02 02 36'2675" 116'50'00" 125

*Palm count includes only those individuals that are adventive

1 69 James W. Cornett

Figure 2. Desert Fan Palms at Nevares Spring, Death Valley National Monument .

Figure 3. Desert Fan Palm at Travertine Springs, Death Valley National Monument . Date Palms, Phoenix dactylifcra, in background. 1 70 Q,

0

0 C C tt

N 1J

James W. Cornett

Table 2

Five most dominant plant species (by coverage estimate) at four springs in Death Valley National Monument. Numbers refer to rank order with 1 indicating most dominant. Plant species arranged to emphasize elevational association . Springs arranged left to right by increasing elevation : NS = Nevares Spring, TS = Travertine Springs, GS = Grapevine Springs, GC = Grapevine Canyon, * = minor presence .

Species NS TS GS GS Sporobolus airoides 5 * Phoenix dactylifera 4 2 Pluchea sericea 1 5 Distichlis spicata 3 Prosopis pubescens 2 1 1 Washingtonia flifera 3 4 2 3 Baccharis sergiloides 4 1 Typha domingensis * 3 Juncus cooperi 5 Tamarix ramosissima * * 4 Salix laevigata 2 Populus fremontii 5

elevation (Table 1) . Perhaps as a re- temperature of 24°C [Waring, 1965] . sult of a colder climate, the palms are Weather data recorded at Scottys stunted and produce fruit even though Castle over a 20-year period indicate trunk heights are less than 3 m . that winter minimum temperatures (Typically, individuals of this species frequently drop below freezing, do not produce fruit until at least 4 m reaching lows of at least -7°C (Susan in height.) The nearest W. flifera Buchel, personal communication, seed source is at Scottys Castle, 3 km 1986). to the east. No records of the occurrence of The palms in Grapevine Desert Fan Palms in Death Valley Canyon (GVC) are associated with National Monument are known prior Scottys Castle, where over thirty to 1930. Historic photographs from mature palms are maintained as Monument archives indicate that in ornamentals (Fig. 5) . Wild palms the spring of that year three mature in- extend both up (east) and down dividuals of W. filifera were planted (west) the canyon from the land- at Scottys Castle in Grapevine Can- scaped areas around the castle . The yon. Records from Scottys Castle palms grow in the coarse alluvial Manuscript Collection suggest that deposits in the canyon bottom . The these palms might have been pur- spring which provides water for both chased from a southern California the ornamental and wild palms is nursery. Palms were also planted as considered a "thermal" spring with ornamentals at Furnace Creek Inn water emanating from the ground at a around 1934 [Miller, 1977] .

172 Naturalized Populations of the Desert Fan Palm

It is likely that the naturalized er Death Valley and Mojave Desert populations of W. filifera within the regions. Yet W. filifera does not Monument were established from occur at most of the springs in these seeds or seedlings originating at Fur- areas even though the climate appears nace Creek and Scottys Castle and to be suitable. Considering the youth transported by coyotes or humans to of the Death Valley and southern the new localities (see Bullock [1980] Nevada populations (<100 years) and and Cornett [1984] for discussions of the species' broad ecological toler- seed dispersal) . Desert Fan Palms are ances, it would appear that the ab- maintained today as ornamentals at sence of W. filifera throughout much Furnace Creek Inn, Furnace Creek of the Death Valley and Mojave Ranch, and National Park Service Desert regions is a result of dispersal facilities at Cow Creek, Grapevine failure, not intolerance to the present Residental Area, and Scottys Castle . climatic regime.

The vegetation at each of the Acknowledgements four springs is similar to that of palm oases at comparable elevations in the My gratitude is extended to Sonoran Desert of southeastern Cali- Rick McIntyre of the National Park fornia. In addition to the Desert Fan Service, who first made me aware of Palm, mesquite (Prosopis pubes- the existence of wild populations of cens), tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissi- W. filifera within Death Valley Na- ma), and cattail (Typha domingensis) tional Monument. Peter Rowlands are associated with at least three of the and Pat McKnight provided additional four springs. Six of the twelve plant information and reviewed the manu- species listed in Table 2 are associated script prior to submission. The study with springs at moderate elevations was supported by a grant from the (GVC and GVS) and four with Richard King Mellon Foundation of springs at low elevations (NS and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . TS). Only W. filifera and P. pubes- cens are present at each of the References springs, suggesting that these two spe- cies have a. relatively broad tolerance Bullock, S. FL, Dispersal of a desert fan to various thermal regimes and per- palm by opportunistic frugivores, Principes, haps soil conditions as well . 24, 29-32, 1980.

The survival of wild popula- Brown, D . E., N. B. Carmony, C. H. Lowe, tions of W. filifera in Death Valley and R. M. Turner, A second locality for National Monument is significant . native California fan palms (Washingtonia Grapevine Canyon and Grapevine filifera) in Arizona, Jour. Arizona Acad. Springs now represent the northern- Sci., 11, 37-41, 1976. most limits of the species' range; and Grapevine Canyon, at 974 m, is the Cornett, J. W., The desert palm oasis . Edu- fifth highest elevaiton at which these cational Bull., 84-1, 3, Desert Protective palms are known to occur. It would Council Publications, Spring Valley, Cali- appear that, insofar as historical fornia, 1984. temperatures are concerned, warmer conditions at lower elevations and The occurrence of the desert fan more southerly latitudes exist around palm, Washingtonia filifera, in southern springs throughout much of the great- Nevada, Desert , 8, 169-171, 1988 .

173 James W. Cornett

Death Valley National Monument, Average Munz, P. A., A flora of Southern Calif- temperature, Informational Sheet DV-44, ornia, University of California Press, Ber- revised 3/11/83, Death Valley National keley, California, 168 pp ., 1974. Monument, California, 1983 . Shreve, F. and I . L. Wiggins, Vegetation Henderson, R., Wild palms of the California and flora of the Sonoran Desert, 2 volumes, Desert, Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Cali- Stanford University Press, Stanford, Cali- fornia, 1, 1951 . fornia, 1740 pp ., 1964.

Hershler, R., Redescription of Assiminea U. S. Weather Bureau, Climatological sum- infima Berry, 1947, from Death Valley, mary for Cow Creek, Death Valley National California, The Veliger, 29, 274-288, 1987 . Monument, Inyo County, California. Department of Commerce, McAllister, J. F., Geologic map and sec- Weather Bureau, San Francisco, California, tions of the Furnace Creek borate area, Death 1955. Valley California, No. 14, California Divi- sion of Mines and Geology, Sacramento, Waring, G. A., Thermal springs of the California, 1970 . United States and other countries of the world--a summary, U. S. Geological Survey Miller, R., Fifty years ago at Furnace Creek Professional. Paper, 492, U. S. Government Inn, Keepsake No. 17, The Death Valley Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 383 pp., Forty-niners, Los Angeles, California, 1977 . 1965.

174