Canary Island Date Palm

Canary Island Date Palm
Phoenix canariensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Phoenix
Species: P. canariensis
Binomial name
Phoenix canariensis
Chabaud

Phoenix canariensis is a species in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the Canary Islands. It is a relative of Phoenix dactylifera, the true date palm. It is a large solitary palm, 10-20(-40) m tall. The leaves are pinnate, 4-6 m long, with 80-100 leaflets on each side of the central rachis. The fruit is an oval, yellow to orange drupe 2 cm long and 1 cm diameter and containing a single large seed; the fruit pulp is edible but too thin to be worth eating.

The most used common name in English is "Canary Island Date Palm". The common name in Spanish speaking countries and in the Canary Islands is "Palmera Canaria". Is the natural symbol of the Canary Islands, together with the Serinus canaria (Canary bird).[1]

Contents

Cultivation

Canary Island Date Palm cultivated in Australia

The Canary Island Date Palm is very widely planted as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions of the world, particularly in areas with Mediterranean climates. It can be cultivated where temperatures never fall below -10/-12 °C for extended periods, although it will require some protection if cold periods are longer than normal. It is a slow growing tree, exclusively propagated by seed. It can be grown from southern England,[2][3] northernmost coastal Spain and central France in the north, to central Chile and Argentina in the south. It is particularly popular in Spain, Portugal, Italy (coastal and southern areas, Sardinia, Sicily), coastal Croatia, Greece, south and western France, warmer parts of the USA (notably California, southern Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and south Texas), Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Uses

In the Canary Islands, the sap of this date palm is used to make palm syrup and the different parts of the palm are used in a number of ways. La Gomera is where most of the sap is produced in the Canary Islands.

Invasiveness

In some mediterranean and subtropical countries, P. canariensis has proven to be an invasive plant. In New Zealand, it has invaded a range of habitats. New Zealand's Landcare Research has classified the palm as a 'sleeper weed' - "a plant that spreads slowly and goes unnoticed until it becomes widespread". In Auckland, New Zealand, the palm has itself become a host for the naturalised Australian strangler fig, Ficus macrophylla.

References

  1. ^ Ley 7/1991, de 30 de abril, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias - in spanish
  2. ^ http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/Palms/Phoenix_Canariensis_at_Southsea.php
  3. ^ http://www.gardensofcornwall.com/site/outdoor-kids/tresco-abbey-garden-p504003

External links

  • Photos (Palm trees in Russia) [1]
  • Principes (Journal of the International Palm Society) Phoenix canariensis in the wild, Vol 42, No 2, April 1998. Accessed 18 May 2008.


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This page was last modified on 17 March 2010 at 20:44.

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