Phoenix Roebelenii seed

LATIN NAME: PHOENIX ROEBELENII

COMMON NAME: Pygmy Date Palm

The pygmy date palm arches the slender, clumping palm with the gracefully curving, feathery fronds of the many narrow, dark-green leaflets and the small, creamy flower clusters that open among the leaves, the tiny, reddish dates following on the mature plants. The trunk wears the neat pattern of the old leaf bases, and the crown arches outward in the soft, tropical form. It grows slowly into the compact, elegant palm, and it likes the bright, sheltered spot, and the rich, moist, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The compact habit of the pygmy date palm gives it a recognised place in the research on the small ornamental palms of the palm family, and the species appears in the studies of the shaded understorey growth and the container cultivation. The work looks at the clumping, multi-stemmed habit, the fruit and seed biology, and the way the palm adapts to the patio and the bright room. The horticulturists value the slow, elegant form, and the growers of the indoor and patio palms keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the warm garden, the patio and the bright room, the pygmy date palm arches the feathery fronds over the still corner. The compact, tropical form gives the soft, lush accent, the small dates feed the birds where the plant fruits, and the palm has served the container planting and the shaded entry for the ages. It grows well in the rich, moist, well-drained ground with the shelter from the strong wind. Elegant, compact and tropical.

To grow the Pygmy Date Palm from seed, soak the fresh seeds in the tepid water for a day or two, then press them into the moist, gritty mix of the warm pot, keep the pot in the warm, shady spot and mist lightly, and the seedlings come up through the warm weeks.

Keep the pot warm and gently misted, and pot the seedlings on as the first fronds form. The arching crown comes over the years. Keep the young palms in the bright, sheltered corner, and the arching fronds will arch over the years.

This is a small growing date palm originating from South Eastern Asia including China, Laos and Vietnam. Unlike other dwarf species of Phoenix, this one develops and trunk and can grow 2 – 3 metres tall when fully grown.  In all respects it is a miniature version of its larger ‘cousins’.
It produces clusters of small dates when mature, these are up to 1 cm in length and have a thin fleshy coating.  Not overly sweet they are not considered edible (probably due to their small size and the proximity of larger fruited relations) they are nonetheless eaten by many species
of bird and mammal, which help spread the seeds.