Phoenix dactylifera seed
LATIN NAME: Phoenix dactylifera
COMMON NAME: Date Palm
The date palm is one of the oldest cultivated trees in the world, and it has fed the people of the deserts for thousands of years. It grows as a tall, graceful palm, reaching twenty metres or more, with a slender, rough trunk crowned by a great fountain of feathery, blue-green fronds. From the crown hang long, arching clusters of flowers that ripen into bunches of dates, the sweet, sticky, golden-brown fruits that have been a staple food of the Middle East and North Africa since ancient times. It is the tree of the oasis, a symbol of life and plenty in the desert, and it has been called the tree of life.
The date palm belongs to the palm family, Arecaceae, and it is native to the region from the Persian Gulf to India, though it has been cultivated for so long that its true wild range is unclear. It is grown across the dry tropics and subtropics, from North Africa to California, wherever there is heat, sun and water.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing a date palm from seed is easy and a lot of fun, though the fruit you get may differ from the parent. The seeds sit inside the dates, and they germinate readily in warm, moist conditions, so clean the seed and sow it in a pot of free-draining compost, about a centimetre deep, and keep it warm, bright and evenly moist. Germination usually begins within two to eight weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow, giving them full sun, warmth and good drainage. Seed-raised date palms make handsome houseplants and garden palms, and in hot, dry climates they will grow into fine trees, though only female trees that are well cared for will produce fruit.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The date palm has one of the longest and richest records of agricultural research of any tree. It has been cultivated for more than five thousand years, and researchers have studied its cultivation, its breeding, its irrigation and its yields for as long as agriculture has been studied, while the discovery of sex in the date palm, with its separate male and female trees, was one of the earliest recorded examples of understanding pollination. The fruit has also been studied in food science and nutrition for its sugars, fibre and minerals, and the palm has been studied in biotechnology, including tissue culture for producing uniform female plants. For a tree of such ancient importance, the date palm has an exceptionally rich record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the date palm is the tree of the oasis. Its canopy gives shade in the desert, its leaves give shelter for birds, and its presence creates the conditions for other crops and life to thrive in the harsh dry lands.
Its economic value is enormous. The dates are a major food crop, eaten fresh and dried and used in countless products, and the palm is also used for timber, thatch, fibre, baskets and fuel, while the sap is tapped for a sweet drink. It is one of the most important trees of the dry world, feeding millions of people. For a grower, the date palm is a tree of great value, and for a gardener it brings the grace and grandeur of the desert oasis.
The large greenish or bluish gray pinnate leaves are typically 18-20 ft (5.5-6.1 m) long by 2 ft (0.6 m) wide. They are arranged in a thick canopy up to 40 feet wide. The palm has hundreds of stiff leaflets which gives it an airy appearance. The leaflets are 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) long and are arranged in V-shape ranks that run the length of the leaf stem. The ones near the base are modified into sharp 3-4 in (7.6-10.2 cm) spines. The old leaf bases remain attached to the trunk further enhancing the rugged beauty of the palm. In this and related species of Phoenix, the un-branched stem is covered with persistent leaf bases.
The yellow orange to red fruit, called ‘dates’, are oblong and about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in length. They consist of a large pointed seed surrounded by sweet sugary flesh that takes six to seven months to develop this taste. Dates are formed from flowers on 4 ft (1.2 m) inflorescences that emerge from among the leaves in spring. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Only the female plants produce dates and only if a male tree is nearby. After the fruits have begun to grow, the fruit-bearing stalks are pulled down through the leaves and tied to the midrib of a lower leaf, to prevent breakage as the fruits increase in weight. Dates are harvested carefully by hand because the fruits mature at different times over the period of a month. Certain dates (dry dates) are left on the plant until the entire inflorescence of fruits is ripe, and then the whole structure is cut. The dates may be eaten immediately or stored to dry.