Giant cycad in Los Angeles

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The biggest cycad in the United States, a dioon spinulosum, is in a tiny little park hidden away in Santa Monica, California. In fact, there are two there. I'm standing next to the slightly-smaller one, which is about 30 feet tall. I'm about six feet tall, so if you're better at calculating measurements, let me know.

These plants were brought to Los Angeles by oil tycoon Edward Doheny in about 1900. They were collected during an oil, mineral, and general exploratory expedition to Mexico and were displayed in a conservatory in what is now downtown Los Angeles until the 1950s, when the conservatory was demolished. At that time the plants were sold to West Los Angeles nurseryman Casper Buergie who moved the plants to his nursery near the corner of Ohio Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard, near UCLA. When Buergie died his wife donated them to the LA Park Department where they were planted in this park.

The most common type of cycad is a "sago palm" (cycas revoluta), which, like this dioon spinulosum, is not a palm at all. It's generally seen as a small fern-like plant, or if very large, as a small palm-like tree. Sago palms aren't as big and don't grow as tall as dioon spinulosums, but both plants can be considered slow-growing miniatures. I have several here at The Tropical Paradise, but have no concerns about them outgrowing their space in my lifetime. Cycads grow for hundreds of years so I often joke that I will need to do some serious pruning in about 75 years!

This information was given to me by my friend Dutch Vandervort and is written in his memory. Thank you, Dutch!



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