Difference between revisions of "Phoenix dactylifera"

Revision as of 13:58, 5 August 2014

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
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

commercial dates Palm Desert
Palm Desert dates
Las Vegas
San Fernando Valley, California
Huntington Gardens
Huntington Gardens
trimmed palms in public landscaping, Orange County, Ca
San Gabriel mountains, California
San Fernando Valley, California
San Fernando Valley, California
Palm Desert, California
Orange county, California
Orange county California
outside Disneyland, California
Thailand ultra blue form
trunks pruned and some natural 'cleaning'
unopened leaves
crown
juvenile palm, Los Angeles
Haziz palm, Palm Desert
Bahri palm, Palm Desert
Los Angeles
trunk
lsuckering base
pruned base
new inflorescences
in fruit
Suckering habit
Khadrawy fruits
Medjool fruits
Bahri fruits early
example of a variety of Date fruit (Haziz Dates)

@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 File:Phoenix dactylifera Medjool in fruit LD.jpg|Medjool fruits
 File:Phoenix dactylifera Bahri dates early.jpg|Bahri fruits early
-File:Phoenix dactylifera Haziz fruits .jpg|Haziz fruits
+File:Phoenix dactylifera Haziz fruits .jpg|example of a variety of Date fruit (Haziz Dates)
 </gallery>
 [[Category:Phoenix]]

Difference between revisions of "Phoenix dactylifera"

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Revision as of 13:58, 5 August 2014