Palm trees came to town with the missionaries, for religious ceremonies, and then, decades later, with the great PR sales pitch of Southern California being the “American Mediterranean,” which demanded the right set dressing — palm trees.
The City Beautiful movement of the 1910s and1920s and the glories of the 1932 Olympics stuck thousands of trees of all kinds into the ground to adorn public L.A. All they had to do was look good; to fret over drought or heat was treason.
Angelenos’ faith that pretty much anything could grow here was usually right. The unlikeliest tree cuttings from the world over were carried here, adapted and came to elbow out the locals.
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Climate change changes cities. We can no longer afford freeloader trees, however glamorous. Palms suck down water like camels, but give back barely enough leafiness to shade a Hula-Hoop. Falling fronds can deliver a mean whack, and during fires, palms light up like a flare.
https://archive.ph/UITVo
From the opinion piece:
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If we get rid of the palm trees, I’m guessing that the only remaining natural symbol for LA will have to default to coyotes.
Does oil count as natural? The tar pits are certainly a symbol of the area.