Growing palm trees in California
California is desert, coast, and mountain freeze in one map, USDA 5b to 11a. San Diego coast sits near 43F while Lake Tahoe still sees nights near -7F. California fan is the native desert palm. Pick a city below, because a San Diego tag does not travel to Tahoe.
California climate
Pick a city or a USDA zone. The palm list follows that winter.
California covers USDA 5b to 11a. Highlighted zones are in the state.
United States
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Hardiness zones
Zones in California
Palms for California
Click a lane or a filter. Cards link to the species page when we have one.
Headings below are palms that clear the warmest-city winter. The rest are houseplants.
Nothing here lives in the ground through winter. Keep these in pots and bring them inside before the first freeze.
Nothing in this lane for that filter. Clear a chip or pick a warmer city.
Needle palm
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Hardy to about 0F · USDA 7a+
The sure thing in the Southeast. Trunkless, and fine if the crown drains.
Dwarf palmetto
Sabal minor
Hardy to about 5F · USDA 7a+
Native wetland fan. Looks like a cabbage palmetto that never grew a trunk.
Windmill palm
Trachycarpus fortunei
Hardy to about 5F · USDA 7a+
The Bay and the cooler coast. Hairy trunk, not a Chinese fan palm.
European fan palm
Chamaerops humilis
Hardy to about 12F · USDA 8a+
Clumping Mediterranean fan. Give it sun and drainage.
Pindo palm
Butia odorata
Hardy to about 15F · USDA 8a+
The cold-hardy feather palm people want when they buy a queen. Edible fruit.
Cabbage palmetto
Sabal palmetto
Hardy to about 15F · USDA 8a+
Southeast coastal native. Ugly winters inland.
Sago palm
Cycas revoluta
Hardy to about 15F · USDA 8b+
A cycad, not a palm. Toxic to dogs. Wrap where winters freeze.
California fan palm
Washingtonia filifera
Hardy to about 18F · USDA 8b+
The native. Desert canyons and warm courtyards, not Tahoe.
Canary Island date palm
Phoenix canariensis
Hardy to about 20F · USDA 9a+
The big date look. A 20F night marks it.
Medjool date palm
Phoenix dactylifera
Hardy to about 20F · USDA 9a+
Same cold story as Canary date. Fruit is a long shot in humidity.
Mexican fan palm
Washingtonia robusta
Hardy to about 23F · USDA 9a+
The coast skyline palm. Fine until a hard inland freeze.
Chinese fan palm
Livistona chinensis
Hardy to about 22F · USDA 9a+
Often confused with windmill. This one wants a mild winter. Check the Latin on the tag.
Queen palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana
Hardy to about 25F · USDA 9a+
A real Los Angeles street tree. Not a Tahoe plant.
Bismarck palm
Bismarckia nobilis
Hardy to about 25F · USDA 9b+
Silver and huge. A showpiece that looks stupid after one freeze.
Caranday wax palm
Copernicia alba
Hardy to about 18F · USDA 8b+
Collector fan for heat. Not a box-store plant.
Majesty palm
Ravenea rivularis
Hardy to about 22F · USDA 9b+
A houseplant that people plant outside and then replace. Keep it in a pot.
Foxtail palm
Wodyetia bifurcata
Hardy to about 27F · USDA 10a+
Florida look. Container only anywhere with a real winter.
Christmas palm
Adonidia merrillii
Hardy to about 30F · USDA 10a+
Pretty red fruit, no cold tolerance. A porch palm that comes inside.
Pygmy date palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 10a+
Fine in a bright room. Not a landscape palm outside the true tropics.
Coconut palm
Cocos nucifera
Hardy to about 35F · USDA 10b+
Even San Diego is too cool at night. Pot only.
Royal palm
Roystonea regia
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 10a+
Miami cement trunk. Needs a frost-free climate.
King palm
Archontophoenix alexandrae
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 10a+
Coastal landscape palm. Skip it in the Sierra.
Areca palm
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens
Hardy to about 30F · USDA 10a+
The grocery-store palm. Bright room, no draft, no backyard in freeze country.
Kentia palm
Howea forsteriana
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 9b+
The hotel lobby palm. Best indoor look if you can spend a little.
Lady palm
Rhapis excelsa
Hardy to about 22F · USDA 9a+
Shade indoor fan. Patio in a pot, then inside for freezes.
Bamboo palm
Chamaedorea seifrizii
Hardy to about 32F · USDA 10b+
Clustering indoor palm. Handles lower light than areca.
Madagascar palm
Pachypodium lamerei
Hardy to about 40F · USDA 10b+
A spiny succulent, not a palm. Indoor or summer patio only.
Ponytail palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Hardy to about 25F · USDA 9b+
Not a palm. Fat base, dry soil, bright window.
Traveler's palm
Ravenala madagascariensis
Hardy to about 32F · USDA 10a+
A banana relative with a fan of leaves. Not an outdoor plant in freeze country.
What actually limits palms here
- Sierra and high-desert freezes that kill every coastal palm
- Dry wind and reflected heat that cook young roots
- Box-store coconut palms sold far north of where they live
California fan palm is the native. It belongs in desert canyons and warm courtyards, not Tahoe. The coast grows Mexican fan, queen, and king palms where frost stays rare. The Sierra is a pot-and-bring-in climate.
California palm questions
Can I grow a coconut palm in California?
Not in the ground. Even San Diego gets too cool at night for a happy coconut. Grow California fan, Mexican fan, or queen on the coast, and keep coconut in a pot.
What actually lives outside in California?
Needle palm, Dwarf palmetto, Windmill palm, European fan palm, Pindo palm, Cabbage palmetto, Saw palmetto, Sago palm, and 23 more live outside in the warmest part of California. Pick a colder city and the list shrinks. Everything else stays in a pot.
When do I wrap palms in California?
Wrap a young hardy palm when a night near its kill number is coming. Wrapping does not turn a tropical palm into an outdoor plant.