Oaks and sycamores take over as Los Angeles declares war on palm trees

The palm trees that line the well-appointed streets of Beverly Hills and frame the view of the Hollywood sign have just become an endangered species.

The Los Angeles City Council decided last week that it would no longer plant emblematic fan palms on streets and other city properties, because they are expensive, prone to disease and provide almost no shade in a city suffering a glaring shortage of greenery.

Adding insult to injury, the council suggested in its resolution that palms weren't real trees at all, but "technically a type of grass" - to the irritation of the thousands of local business owners with the word "palm" in their name.

Fan palms have graced millions of postcards and form part of the irresistible imagery of southern California.

But they are not indigenous - they were first planted by property developers in the 1860s as a deliberate ploy to lure Midwesterners to the West Coast sun. LA won't be chopping any palms down, and won't stop private citizens from planting them in their gardens, but it won't be planting any new ones.

Instead, it will champion native sycamores and oaks, as part of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to plant a million new trees before he leaves office.