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Phoenix dactylifera

(Date Palm)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Arabic:

Nachl Nakla, Nakhl (Nakhal), Tamar, Temer

Common Names in Bengali:

Khajur

Common Names in Chinese:

Hai Zao, Ye Zao, Zao Ye, Zao Ye Zi

Common Names in Danish:

Daddelpalme

Common Names in Dutch:

Dadelpalm, Echte Dadelpalm, Gewone Dadelpalm

Common Names in English:

Date, Date Palm

Common Names in Finnish:

Taateli, Taatelipalmu

Common Names in French:

Dattier, Dattier Commun, Palmier Dattier

Common Names in German:

Dattelpalme, Echte Dattelpalme

Common Names in Hindi:

खजूर, खाजी, Khaji, Khajur, Salma, Sendhi

Common Names in Italian:

Dattero, Palma Da Datteri, Palma Di Dattero, Palmizio

Common Names in Japanese:

Natsume Yashi

Common Names in Nepalese:

Chohoraa

Common Names in Norwegian:

Daddel, Daddelpalme

Common Names in Polish:

Daktylowiec

Common Names in Portuguese:

Tâmara, Tamareira

Common Names in Russian:

Finikovaia Pal´ma, Pal´ma Finikovaia

Common Names in Sanskrit:

Pindakharjura

Common Names in Spanish:

Dátil, Palmera Datilera, Palmera De Dátiles

Common Names in Swahili:

Mtende

Common Names in Swedish:

Dadelpalm

Common Names in Tamil:

Karchuram, Perichchankay

Common Names in Thai:

Inthaphalam (Fruit), Ton Inthaphalam (Palm)

Description

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Family Arecaceae

Trees or shrubs [lianas], perennial , branched or unbranched, solitary or clustered. Roots adventitious, thick. Stems woody, subterranean or terrestrial , creeping or erect [climbing ], slender or massive, sometimes conspicuously enlarged and storing starch and water, smooth or covered with fibrous or prickly remains of leaf bases . Leaves spirally arranged ; sheaths tubular , often forming crownshaft , sometimes with ligular appendages ; petioles terete , channeled , or ridged , unarmed or bearing prickles or marginal teeth; hastula (flap of tissue from petiole apex at junction with surface of blade ) absent or present adaxially, rarely present abaxially. Leaf blade palmate, costapalmate (intermediate between palmate and pinnate), pinnate, or 2-pinnate [undivided]; plication (folding lengthwise into pleats or furrows ) ^ - or tent-shaped (reduplicate , splitting along abaxial ridges ) or V-shaped (induplicate , splitting along adaxial ridges) ; segments lanceolate, linear , or cuneate [rhombic ], glabrous or variously scaly , unarmed or bearing prickles (proximal segments modified into spines in Phoenix) . Inflorescences from solitary [clustered] axillary buds, borne within, below, or above crown of leaves, paniculate , rarely spicate , usually branched to 1--5 orders ; prophyll (1st bract on main inflorescence axis ) 2-keeled; peduncular bract(s) (empty bract[s] between 1st prophyll and 1st bract subtending branch ) present [absent]; flowers bisexual , unisexual with staminate and pistillate on same plants or on different plants, or both bisexual and unisexual on same plant. Flowers solitary or variously clustered along rachillae of inflorescence, radially symmetric ; perianth 1--2-seriate; sepals [2--]3[--4], distinct or connate ; petals [2--]3[--4], distinct or variously connate; androecium: stamens [3--]6--34[--1000]; filaments distinct or connate or basally adnate to petals; anthers basifixed or dorsifixed , dehiscing latrorsely or introrsely; staminodes in pistillate flowers distinct or variously connate or adnate to pistil or petals; pistils 1 or 3, distinct or partially connate, each bearing 1 ovule and 1 stigma, or 1 pistil bearing 1--3 ovules and 3 stigmas; styles distinct or connate, short; stigmas dry; pistillode in staminate flower present or absent. Fruits drupaceous or berrylike; stigmatic remains basal or apical; exocarp smooth, warty, prickly, or hirsute [corky or scaly]; mesocarp fleshy or dry and fibrous; endocarp papery , leathery, or bony, sometimes with 3 germination pores . Seeds 1(--2+), free or adhering to endocarp; seed coat thin; endosperm homogeneous or ruminate , sometimes penetrated by seed coat; embryo basal, lateral , or apical, peglike, minute; eophyll (1st seedling leaf with blade) undivided and lanceolate or 2-cleft [pinnate].

Genera 1914, species ca. 2500 (19 genera, 29 species in the flora ) : worldwide, especially abundant in Central America, South America, se Asia.

Although palms appeared in various taxonomic schemes since the time of Linnaeus, the first attempt at a modern phylogenetic classification of the palms was published by H. E. Moore Jr. (1973) . Moore left his "major groups" unranked, and his untimely death in 1980 prevented his completing a formal synthesis. J. Dransfield and N. W. Uhl (1986) gave formal ranks to Moore€™s groups and divided the family into six subfamilies and numerous tribes and subtribes . Their Genera Palmarum (N. W. Uhl and J. Dransfield 1987, 1999) is a model of accuracy and completeness and will long serve the needs of the scientific, horticultural, and resource-management communities. With the advent of molecular techniques and a resurgence in palm research, however, realignments in the classification may be expected, and indeed additional data already require some changes in the current scheme (A. Barford 1991; R. G. Bernal et al. 1991; J. L. Dowe and N. W. Uhl 1989; J. Dransfield 1989, 1991; J. Dransfield and H. J. Beentje 1995, 1995b; A. Henderson and M. J. Balick 1991; N. W. Uhl and J. Dransfield 1999; N. W. Uhl et al. 1990, 1995.)

Modern cladistic analyses place the palms as the sister group to the Commelinanae clade (M. W. Chase et al. 1993; J. I. Davis 1995; M. R. Duvall et al. 1993b), with which they share ultraviolet-fluorescent phenolic compounds in their cell walls and Strelitzia-type epicuticular wax morphology (W. Barthlott and D. Frölich 1983; P. J. Harris and R. D. Hartley 1980) . Palms are currently treated as the sole representative of the superorder Arecanae , order Arecales (R. M. T. Dahlgren et al. 1985; R. F. Thorne 1992b) .

Morphologically the family is diverse and complex (see especially P. B . Tomlinson 1990) . The majority of palms produce a single indeterminate stem with axillary inflorescences; several noteworthy departures, however, also occur in numbers of vegetative and floral axes, position of inflorescence, and displacement of terminal bud. Stems may be solitary (monopodial) or clustered (sympodial), erect, prostrate , or lianoid. A majority of palms have unbranched vegetative axes, although aerial branching, sometimes dichotomous, is known in a variety of unrelated genera (e.g. , Korthalsia Blume, Nannorrhops H. Wendland) . Branching may also be nonaxiallary in some genera (J. B. Fisher et al. 1989) .

Studies of pollination (F. Borchsenius 1997; F. Ervik and J. P. Feil 1997; A. Henderson 1986; C. Listabarth 1992, 1993, 1993b, 1994; A. O. Scariot et al. 1991) indicate that insect pollination, especially by beetles (Coleoptera), bees and wasps (Hymenoptera), and flies (Diptera), is apparently more common than wind pollination. Bats (Chiroptera) play a role in the pollination of some species (S. A. Cunningham 1995) .

Dispersal of seeds is generally by means of animals for fleshy-fruited palms (S. Zona and A. Henderson 1989) . Many species of mammals include palm fruits in their diets (S. H. Bullock 1980; R. F. Harlow 1961; W. D. Klimstra and A. L. Dooley 1990; D. S. Maehr 1984; D. S. Maehr and J. R. Brady 1984), but birds also play a significant role. In the Eastern Hemisphere, Cocos Linnaeus and Nypa Steck have achieved a wide distribution as the result of dispersal by water. For the relationship between palms and seed-eating bruchid beetles (Bruchidae: Pachymerinae: Pachmerini), see C. D. Johnson et al. (1995) .[1]

Genus Phoenix

Stems solitary or clustered, erect or ascending [subterranean ], slender to massive, often clothed in old leaf bases . Leaves: sheath fibers soft; petiole not split at base, armed , base not split, not forming crownshaft ; blade pinnate; plication induplicate ; segments lanceolate, in 1 or more planes ; apices acute; basal segments modified into stout spines. Inflorescences axillary within crown of leaves, paniculate , ascending, much shorter than leaves, with 1 order of branching, alike in staminate and pistillate plants ; prophyll often caducous , conspicuous , becoming boat-shaped , short; peduncular bracts absent; rachillae glabrous . Staminate flowers borne singly along rachillae; calyx cupulate , 3-lobed; petals 3, free , valvate ; stamens 6, free; pistillode inconspicuous or absent. Pistillate flowers borne singly on rachillae; calyx cupulate, 3-lobed; petals 3, imbricate, free; staminodial ring cupulate or deeply 6-lobed; pistils 3 (only 1 developing), distinct ; stigmas small. Fruits drupes, berrylike, fleshy ; exocarp blackish brown, smooth ; mesocarp fleshy or fibrous ; endocarp papery . Seeds 1, elongate ; endosperm homogeneous ; embryo lateral [basal]; eophyll undivided, lanceolate. xn = 18.

Species 137: introduced ; widespread, native to Eastern Hemisphere, including the Canary and Cape Verde iIslands, s Europe, Africa (including Madagascar), s Asia, and Philippines.

Several species of Phoenix are cultivated as ornamentals in Florida and California, although identification can be difficult since because the species are dioecious and apparently hybridize with great ease. Phoenix dactylifera Linnaeus, the date palm, is grown as a commercial crop in southern California and Arizona and as an ornamental palm in Florida, but it seems noninvasive. It can be recognized by its massive trunk (eventually bearing basal offshoots) and its stiff, ascending, glaucous leaves. In Florida, P. roebelenii O'Brien (pygmy date palm), with its solitary trunk less than 15 cm in diam., is also cultivated as an ornamental although it does not seem to escape . Other species of Phoenix are occasionally cultivated in warm parts of the United States. Elements of cultivated species of Phoenix entering the flora may be of uncertain parentage.

Two species, Phoenix canariensis and P. reclinata, have escaped and are sporadically naturalized in southern Florida and, to a much lesser extent, in California. Phoenix dactylifera is reportedly naturalized in California (E. McClintock 1993), but I have seen no specimens.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Tree , Shrub

Flowers: Bloom Period: January, February. • Flower Color: pale yellow

Size/Age/Growth

Size: over 40' tall.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,438 meters (0 to 4,718 feet).[3]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 20-30' apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Palma dactylifera (L.) Mill.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Sp. pl. 2:1188. 1753

Name verified on 14-Oct-1999 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 14-Oct-1999

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Phoenix

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 67 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

P. abyssinica · P. acaulis (Dwarf Date Palm) · P. andamanensis · P. arabica · P. atlantica · P. atlantidis · P. baoulensis · P. butia · P. caespitosa · P. canariensis (Canary Islands Date Palm) · P. chevalieri · P. comorensis · P. cycadifolia · P. dactilifera · P. dactylifera (Date Palm) · P. dactylifera var. Barhi (Barhi Date) · P. dactylifera 'Deglet Noor' (Date Palm) · P. dactylifera 'Medjool' (Date Palm) · P. dactyliphera · P. djalonensis · P. dybowskii · P. erecta · P. excelsa · P. excelsior · P. farinifera · P. hanceana · P. humilis · P. hybrida · P. iberica · P. jubae · P. leonensis · P. loureiri · P. loureirii (Loureir's Date Palm) · P. loureirii var. humilis (Loureiros Date Palm) · P. loureiroi (Loureiro´s Palm) · P. loureiroi var. humilis (Loureiro´s Dwarf Palm) · P. loureiroi var. pedunculata · P. macrocarpa · P. melanocarpa · P. ouseleyana · P. paludosa (Mangrove Date Palm) · P. paludosa x rupicola · P. pedunculata · P. pumila · P. pusilla (Ceylon Date Palm) · P. pygmaea · P. reclinata (African Wild Date Palm) · P. reclinata x canariensis · P. reclinata x dactylifera · P. reclinata x roebelenii · P. robusta · P. roebelenii (Miniature Date Palm) · P. roebelenii var. reasoneri · P. roebelenii x paludosa · P. roebelinii 'Multistem' · P. rupicola (East Indian Wine Palm) · P. senegalensis · P. siamensis · P. spinosa · P. sylvestris (Silver Date Palm) · P. sylvestris 'Robusta' · P. tenuis · P. theophrasti (Theophrastus's Date Palm) · P. theophrastii · P. tomentosa · P. vigieri · P. zeylanica

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 27, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Scott Zona "Arecaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 22 Page 95. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Dachel Adanson, Elate Linnaeus, Palma Miller "Phoenix". in Flora of North America Vol. 22 Page 110. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 235.790 meters (773.589 feet), Standard Deviation = 258.290 based on 179 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009