The palm is 20m (60ft) high with leaves 5m (16ft) long, the tallest tree of its type in the country; but for most of its life - around 100 years - it appears fairly unremarkable apart from its size.

The City of Escondido lists every palm tree found in Southern California gardens on its list of fire-resistant species, although they are accompanied by a warning to be planted between 10 and 30 ...