Phoenix dactylifera

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Pronunciation: Fee-nix dack-till-LIF-er-uh


Common Name: Edible Date Palm

Phoenix dactylifera is one of the most commonly grown palms on the planet, as well as one of the most economically important ones as well. Despite it being so common, it is still one of the best, most magnificent and useful landscape palms we can grow in southern California. Thousands of these are planted in public landscaping throughout California, as it also one of our hardiest palms. In addition, it was one of the only edible fruit forming palms we grow in California, with over a dozen varieties grown in the Coachella Valley commercially.

Appearance and Biology
  • Habit: Solitary or suckering (more often the latter) with a large crown of about 20-40 leaves
  • Height: 80 feet tall
  • Trunk: Single to multiple trunks (usually pruned and kept as single) with naturally retained leaf bases, though that fall off with age showing a geometric, ornamental pattern of leaf scars; 2' thick
  • Crownshaft: none
  • Spread: 25 feet
  • Leaf Shape and color: pinnate; plumose (leaflets form on two different but nearly parallel planes); long (15') arching blue-green to dull green leaves with relatively short, stiff, sharp-tipped, induplicate leaflets
  • Petiole: 1' and very heavily armed with very stiff, very sharp, narrow, modified leaflet spines; unsplit leaf bases
  • Reproduction: dioecious
  • Inflorescence: starting upright to arching, 4' long; bright orange to yellow, with white flowers
  • Fruit: edible, oblong, green to orange or red to red-brownish when ripe; 3-4cm
  • Seed: very oblong 2.5cm
Horticultural Characteristics
  • Minimum Temp: 15F
  • Drought Tolerance: excellent, though best if ground water available
  • Dry Heat Tolerance: excellent
  • Cool Tolerance: good
  • Wind Tolerance: good
  • Salt Tolerance: good
  • Growth Rate: moderate to fast with age
  • Soil Preference: very widely adaptable
  • Light Requirement: full sun
  • Human Hazards: very sharp, long, strong/stiff leaf-base spines, and even leaves have spiny tips; fruit drop/slippage hazards on sidewalks
  • Disease or Horticultural Problems: Fusarium wilt susceptible (often spread via dirty pruning sheers); often overpruned- excuse is often extreme height and cost of trimming
  • Transplants?: fairly good transplant success normally if care not to damage trunk or do too much root damage
  • Indoor?: poor choice for indoor due to high light requirements, size and dangerous leaf tips
  • Availability: fairly commonly available


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