"David E. Ross" wrote in message ...
On 1/27/2014 9:24 PM, Guv Bob wrote:
Any idea what this might be? North San Diego near the coast.

Palm tree on hill
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/542/f0cv.jpg

Also, just for fun, here's a shot of a green ash tree with berries. It's covered with these red berries every year about this time.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/401/w2yw.jpg


Does the "palm" have a onion-like bulbous base on the surface of the
soil? If so, it might be a ponytail palm (Nolina recurvata). Wikipedia
says that Nolina recurvata is now known as Beaucarnea recurvata.

The plant might instead be some other species of Nolina or Beaucarnea.
Some botanists place the both genera in the agave family; others place
them in the asparagus family. (This is easily understood when you
notice that a young flower stalk of an agave starts out looking like a
giant asparagus spear.)

Today, during my usual Tuesday morning shift as a docent at Gardens of
the World (Thousand Oaks, CA), I notice the trunk of the young ponytail
palm in the Japanese Garden resembled your "palm" photo. They both have
the same banding around the trunk and similar leaves.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Thanks David. I checked out all the types you mention. Definitely not ponytail palm - leaves are all stiff and don't hang down, and no enlarged shapes at the ground. Will keep looking and post when I find out.

Any idea of a ID website for these types of plants? Lots of them for oaks, pines, etc., but I don't see much for desert plants.