What Is the Species & Genus of the Date Palm Plant?
Date palm trees are cultivated worldwide for their delicious fruit and are used as landscaping trees. The dates can be eaten right off the tree, dried, or used as an ingredient in cooking. There are several species of date palm trees, but only one is considered the true date palm. Does this Spark an idea?
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Genus
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Date palms belong to the genus Phoenix, which includes several different species. In the United States, plants from the Phoenix genus are found in Hawaii, California, Arizona, Florida, Maryland and Massachusetts.
Species
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Date palms belong to the species dactylifera (Phoenix dactylifera) and are cultivated for their fruit. There are hundreds of cultivars of this species around the world.
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Form
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Date palms can be 100 to 120 feet tall. Their trunk is covered with leaves in a diamond pattern. They have one crown with grayish-green or bluish-green leaves that are up to 20 feet long. Each leaf has multiple leaflets, giving them a feathery appearance. The flowers are small and either white, or waxy and cream colored. The dates are yellowish brown to dark brown and sweet when ripe.
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References
- Purdue University: Agriculture Horticulture and Landscape Architecture; Date
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Date Palm Products
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: PLANTS Profile Phoenix L.
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: PLANTS Profile Phoenix dactylifera
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
