Native to Baja California (northwest Mexico), the heat loving Brahea Brandegeei is named after a renowned botanist who was long associated with the UC Berkeley Herbarium. Commonly referred to as the San Jose Hesper palm, this lanky solitary palm is known for its height of 40 to 60 feet, delicate petiole (leaf stalks) and light-green, palmate, 3 foot long leaves that often yellow toward their slightly drooping bifid tips, forming a wonderful, airy canopy with ample foliage.
This palm is vastly underappreciated compared to its close cousin, the Washingtonia robusta. While the two palms both have narrow trunks and take on a very similar appearance, the B. brandegeei is a cleaner, somewhat shorter tree. The leaf bases of the Brandegeei are not as tightly bound to the trunk as the Washingtonia and become self-cleaning on established specimens. The trunks of younger specimens can form a petticoat, but it is generally quite small and tidy. The inflorescence are also more discrete, and do not protrude beyond the leaves.
The San Jose Hesper palm is probably a better alternative to the Washington robusta and remains vastly underutilized in Southern California, especially when considering it is a cleaner, shorter and arguably more attractive specimen.
