SCIENTIFIC NAME: Phoenix dactylifera

COMMON NAME(S): Date palm
SUB FAMILY: Coryphoideae
TRIBE: Phoeniceae
ORIGIN: North Africa, but exact origin unknown
HARDINESS ZONES: 9-11 (damaged but recovered at 20 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 70'
GROWTH RATE: Slow
HABIT: Slowly clustering (main trunk dominates for many years), 20-40 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: High
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: High
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: Spiny
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: Hundreds, if not thousands, of cultivars throughout the Middle East selected largely for fruit characteristics. Common cultivars used in landscaping include 'Medjool', Zahedi', and 'Deglet Noor'.

COMMENTS: The edible or 'true' date palm is becoming much more widely used in landscaping than previously, especially since large specimens have become available from date groves in California and Arizona that have ceased production. They are adaptable landscape palms, with a broad range of environmental tolerance, but fruit poorly in the humid tropics and subtropics. The canopy of date palm is often sparse in comparison to Canary Island date. Their wide use in areas where lethal yellowing disease is resident should also be carefully considered as no variety is known to be resistant.