Date palm is slow growing and requires full sun for optimal growth; it can reach heights up to 80 feet. The pinnately compound blue-green to gray-green leaves or fronds can grow to 20 feet in length; leaflets are 1 to 2 feet long and form a "V" shape down the rachis. The petiole stem that attaches the leaf to the trunk is considered "false" because it contains 3- to 4-inch thorns that are actually modified leaflets. When young, the trunk bears boots remnant petioles that were attached to the trunk ; when mature, the boots wear and become knobby but still show a characteristic spiraling leaf arrangement.
Orange inflorescences can reach lengths of 4 feet, are heavily branched, bear small white blossoms, and grow among the leaves. The oblong edible fruits are 1 to 3 inches long and occur in orange or red masses when mature.
Each individual tree is either a male or a female as is true for all species within this genus. Male trees are extremely allergenic because their pollen is air-borne, whereas the female palms cause minimal to no allergies. People in the Middle East have used the date palm as a main food source for at least years. It is only in the last several hundred years that it became a global commodity.
Today, cultivation of date palm has spread into many other parts of the world including the United States. Currently, there are hundreds of varieties of the date palm, with noticeable differences in fruit characteristics. Only two varieties produce fruit in areas with humidity similar to that of the Gulf Coast region of the United States.
Date palm makes an attractive landscape specimen with its blue-green leaves, textured trunk, and bright orange inflorescences. It requires neutral to acidic soils that are well drained, and it should be located where it can receive direct sunlight.
The date palm is commonly used as a street tree because it is able to thrive even when there is limited space for root growth; however, some find the fallen fruits to be messy and undesirable along sidewalks. Although its crown is wide, it is not very dense, and therefore the date palm does not function well as a shade tree. Search By Location. Date Palm Species Images. These plants are from foreign areas those that occur outside of North America north of Mexico that have been released intentionally or unintentionally.
Plants that have been disseminated or escaped as a result of human activity, and become established somewhere within the United States, Canada or Greenland. Allergenicity : Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera is a mild allergen.
Pollination: Occurs in following seasons depending on latitude and elevation: Spring to Summer. Angiosperm - Flowering Monocot: Plants in this group have one embryonic leave single cotyledon. This group include the grasses, lilies, orchids and palms. Because of this, this species would be considered a high maintenance species, especially during its earlier years. Classical plants from habitat often have a very flat one plane leaf, but commercial cultivars are often plumose and "spiky".
Mature specimens demonstrate one of the nicest characteristics of the species: taller trunks gracefully leaning away from the midline and silhouetting themselves against the blue of the sky. These trunks therefore may show a gentle curve as they head upwards, somewhat reminiscent of a Coconut.
They can be quite beautiful if stems are artistically eliminated to give variable heights to the trunks and crowns and can be very dramatic in an open lawn setting or against a tall building. This species wants to be planted in full sun.
It should be given ample room and can tolerate temperatures into the low twenties F. For some people, Phoenix sylvestris may seem to be an alternative to the Canary Island Palm. But, it is not as cold hardy as the Canary. It also has a different color to the leaves and a thinner trunk. I'd estimate this species will tolerate temperatures into the low 20's F, perhaps upper teens.
It does tolerate hot conditions and is a good grower. Like other species, it is extremely spiny and care must be used when pruning this species. P hoenix sylvestris along a street planting A specimen in a botanical garden Phoenix theophrastii, Cretan Date Palm Phoenix theophrastii is a Phoenix species with a very limited area of distribution, native to Southern Greece and the Island of Crete and perhaps some surrounding areas.
It is a suckering species that gets to over 40 feet height. It has rather thin trunks and is very spiny with prickly leaves. Some feel it might be related to the true Date Palm. It's crowns of leaves are smaller than the P. Different than P. It does have a somewhat gray color to the crown. Specimens look very thick and impenetrable when smaller but with time will show some taller stems. Phoenix theophrastii , showing how prickly and thick a plant is at this stage.
Phoeni8x acualis, a 12 year old plant at the nursery A close-up of the same plant. Phoenix loureiri is from India and other Asian countries and is typically a single trunk plant but can be seen to sucker.
It is a smaller species with trunks seldom over 15 feet and about a foot in diameter. They are an alternative to the much larger Phoenix canariensis and have somewhat plumose leaves. The leaf color is green to gray-green. There is felt to be a variety of P. It can tolerate full sun or partial sun and has some degree of cold hardiness. Phoenix loureiri in a botanical garden.
There are several other unusual species of Phoenix, but it is beyond the purpose of this article to cover these species. Let it be said that they are all spiny, single or trunking, and many have ornamental value.
It is quite common for nurserymen and plant enthusiasts to make intrageneric hybrids crosses within a genus. We have seen a lot of such crosses in orchids, bromeliads and various types of palms. But, with Phoenix, hybridization occurs without man's effort and only requires mere proximity of different species.
In general, Phoenix set seeds quite easily. In habitat, this ability is probably prosurvival. But, in habitat, there are not typically multiple different species of Phoenix side by side or in the same area. So, in the wild, the species procreates, stays pure and lives on.
In a domestic setting this is usually not the case. One must assume that seeds from any given plant in a domestic area are hybrids unless ones has pollinated the male blossom with pure pollen or there are no other species around. This is true regardless of the species of female Phoenix.
As nurserymen will often opt for cheaper domestically provided seeds of "impure" heritage, there is a multitude of "different" looking " Phoenix being sold and grown throughout the world.
I am not implying that this is a bad thing. It just makes it a guessing game as to the identify or parentage of any given domestic Phoenix that one might see.
And, the more one looks, the more one sees evidence for this natural process of hybridization. One might see a "Canary" with an remarkably thin trunk. Or, a Pygmy Date with a husky trunk and very long, stiff leaves. In fact, I've seen almost every combination of Phoenix characteristics imaginable.. The important thing is to just recognize this fact and rest assured that calling a different looking plant a "hybrid" may in fact be the correct answer.
Below is an example of a plant that appears to be a Phoenix canariensis. The crown appears to be a normal Canary Island Date Palm. But, the trunk is quite narrow, about 12 inches thick. This would be very unusual for a Canary. Also, it is quite smooth compared to a typical Canary. Could it be a P. My guess is that it's a hybrid. I mentioned previously how Phoenix reclinata in its natural form has a very flat leaf, single plane more or less.
The picture below shows an example of this natural form of reclinata. Compare the picture above to the more typically seen plumose multi-ranked leaflets " Phoenix reclinata " below. Note how the leaflets come off the petiole at multiple angles. This is the result of hybridization. Below is an example of the Phoenix roebelenii from domestically produced seeds. Note there is a sucker emanating from the base of the mother trunk. This is also the result of hybridization in the domestic environment.
The more one looks, the more unusual combinations of morphology one will find. Phoenix hybridize like crazy. I hope that the reader now understands that there are many species of Phoenix.
But, there is only one true Date Palm. And, to get edible dates, you must obtain a female Phoenix dactylifera , the true Date Palm.
And, you must have male plants for pollination in your locality. Some species of Phoenix are suckering multiple stems , others are single trunk. Some are short while others tower overhead. All have spines. Suckering species may need pruning of offsets to create the most beautiful mature specimen. In general, Phoenix do not make great house plants, but can be grown with some success indoors if given enough light.
All Phoenix hybridize easily.. At our nursery we offer all the species of Phoenix for sale in containers. We also sell over other types of palms and countless species of cycads and other tropical plants.
We are not company that digs and cranes large specimens, but may be able to assist you in locating fine specimen trees or a reputable transplanting company.
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