These seedlings of the Mexican fan palm and California fan palm pop up as weeds in my garden. Especially under the wires where many birds sit. The two species are difficult to tell apart when they are small.

These trees are native to the deserts of nothern Mexico, and are commonly planted for decoration in this area.  They become quite tall.  The dead leaves forming the "skirts" on these trees need to be cut off frequently.  Otherwise they form nesting sites for birds, rats, and other critters.  They also create a serious fire hazard.  Ignited by blowing against power lines, burning bits on the wind set fire to an entire block of apartment buildings in the West Anaheim fire.

The flowers of the Mexican fan palm are small and not very showy.  Here is a cluster of hundreds of flowers.

This shows mature fruit which birds evidently enjoy.  Then they deposit the seed, with fertilizer in my garden.

Here is a young palm, not many months after the first leaf appeared.  They may add a great deal to landscaping while they are relatively small.  But as they get taller they are beautiful only from a distance.

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