This is the canopy and fruit stalks of a Bismarck Palm (Bismarckia nobilis) – named for Otto Von Bismarck, a very big and very blue gray palm. So big, the fronds are 4 feet across and they can reach 60 feet in height. I frequently see these towering palms dwarfing the houses they are planted near.
A native of Madagascar – a place that must have spectacular Dr. Seuss-like forests. Bismarcks are hardy to freezing and adaptable to a wide variety of soils.
Here are the fruits, they are about 2 inches in diameter and fall indiscriminately to the ground. A bit like a chestnut, one of my greyhounds had a bite of one and immediately spit it out, so I am guessing not so tasty.
The Shrub Queen 
The first one of these that I ever saw was in the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, probably because someone assumed that such an exotic palm must be tropical and sensitive to frost. I saw it when I was a little kid, and it is probably still there. They are still rare here.
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Hmm, I have seen them on Maui.
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I sort of get the impression that they are more popular in Hawaii and in your regions, yet, they are gaining popularity around Los Angeles.
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There are a lot of these around, though people are realizing how huge they are. I have a Blue Latania Palm which is a smaller version.
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I do happen to find it odd that the few in the region of Los Angeles are quite big, as if they were here longer ago that I was aware, but had not yet become popular. They are still not common, but are more common than they had been.
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I wonder if they grow here, maybe around Galveston. I’ll keep an eye out for them.
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I don’t know, it said they were hardy to 28 degrees. I would guess it is too cold there.
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Maybe so. We always try to stretch the zone limits and then a Blue Norther hits.
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A gardeners curse – try living in Zone 10 when Zone 9 is the limit for so many things!
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I’ve seen them growing in Martinique, they are fabulous.
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I agree. fabulous
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