Desert fan palm

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/desert-fan-palm

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How tall is the Desert fan palm?Up to 65 feet (20 meters)
2. What is the scientific name?Washingtonia filifera
3. What is the native range?Southwestern United States (California, Arizona) and Northwestern Mexico (Baja California)
4. Where does the desert fan palm grow?It grows in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, especially in California, Arizona, and Baja California. The palm likes places where water is close to the ground, like desert oases and the bottoms of canyons.
5. How does the desert fan palm survive in the hot desert?Its roots go deep to find underground water. The big leaves catch sunlight for photosynthesis, and a layer of dead leaves around the trunk keeps the trunk cool and saves water.

Endemic Species: A species native and restricted to a particular geographic area.
Riparian Ecosystem: An area of vegetation alongside a river or stream, characterized by high biodiversity.
Marcescent: The condition of dead plant parts (like leaves) remaining attached to the living plant.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.