California Fan Palm - Washingtonia Filifera

Like most palms, it has several common names. It is sometimes called the desert palm, the petticoat palm, or the California Washingtonia.
The old leaves form a dry, brown skirt around the top of the trunk if they are not removed. It is this habit which causes people to call it the petticoat palm. Bugs, birds, and mice can live inside these skirts. Because the native range of this tree is so arid, they can also become a fire hazard.
This fan palm grows singly. The gray trunk can grow to 60 feet tall and 3 feet around.
A mature specimen can have a crown spread of 15 feet. Each leaf is 3-6 feet wide and grows on a long stalk with hooked teeth. This could explain why people don't always prune off the dead fronds. These teeth are not present in juveniles.
Each spring, large clusters of white flowers dangle from the crown. These flowers mature into sweet black berries which can be eaten fresh by humans and animals alike.
The California fan palm is hardy to 15 degrees F. Possibly lower with age. It is fast growing, drought and salt tolerant.

Juniperus chinensis 'Old Gold'

Outstanding, evergreen shrub with dense, upright branches clothed in sharply pointed needles. Depending on variety, works well as a ground cover, hedge, screen or windbreak. Requires little maintenance. Very tough plant. 'Old Gold' is similar to Pfitzer but more compact. Foliage is bronze-gold in color, retained through the winter. Grows 3 feet high by 4 feet wide.

Nerium oleander

The baladre (Oleander) bush that has given it name to a small town in the area. The bright colour of its flowers belies its highly toxic nature. In some countries, people make an ointment from oleander leaves mixed whith honey to treat scabies.

The eucalyptus

This tree was introduced into Delta region in the mid-19th century in order to dry up the swamplands that favoured the breeding of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Its root system can adsorb up to 200 liters of water per day. It is notable for the aromatic fragance of its gumnuts, leaves and flowers. The wood is used industrially to extract a cellulose paste while the leaves have a medical use for respiratory infeccions.

The Ebro Delta is a very flat, without gradients. It has outstanding ecological resources, ofering walks and bird-watching, while the bicycle may also be used as an environmentally-friendly means to move around the area in order to discover the natural environement; the landscape of endlessly-stretching rice fields, lagoons surrounded by dense reed-beds and sweeping pristine beaches with fine sands.

Different types of boats are also essential for discovering the Ebro Delta region, from the smallest to the bigger kinds, from adventure boats to pleasure and leisure craft.

The Montsià range suggeststhat this is a wild and little-known landscape and its privileged location makes it and exellent scenic vantage point, a place for walking excursioins along the mesh of ancient paths and tracks that attract those who love rambling and nature.

http://eucaliptus.recolons.net