"Shave and a Haircut..."

Queen Palm Nut Pods

Our neighborhood was a subdivision of San Diego begun in 1910.  The streets are all named after English counties, but the prevailing architectural styles are Craftsman and Spanish Revival.

Somewhere along the way, somebody planted Queen Palms, Syagrus romanzoffiana, along most of the streets.

After the Haircut

When I first moved to San Diego, I told my realtor that I wanted "real trees", not palms, but I've grown rather fond of them over the years.  For one thing, you don't have to spend entire weekends in the fall raking leaves.

The main problem with Queen Palms is that they are not "self cleaning", meaning that they occasionally need to have dead fronds and seed pods trimmed off to keep them healthy and attractive.

Lots of Queen Palms in the 'Hood

The seed pods are really the worst aspect of Queen Palms; they look interesting at first, with a fibrous pod forming under the fronds, which later splits open to reveal the hundreds of palm nuts inside.  If the nuts are left on the tree, they eventually turn orange and drop off onto the ground below.  Where they decay.  And stink.  And attract vermin.

And if you don't sweep them up, they're a tripping hazard for your neighbors and will eventually create thousands of little palm trees in your yard.
It's no wonder that some communities in Florida consider them an invasive species.

Properly cared for, they can be quite attractive.