Canary Island Date Palm
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| iCanary Island Date Palm | ||||||||||||||
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 Phoenix canariensis cultivated in Madeira
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| Phoenix canariensis Chabaud |
The Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) is a large palm native to the Canary Islands off the Atlantic coast of north Africa.
It grows to 20 m tall, with a stout trunk 70-90 cm diameter. The leaves are pinnate, up to 6 m long, with 80-100 leaflets on each side of the central rachis. The fruit is an oval yellow to orange-brown 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.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
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, where temperatures never fall below −10 °C. It can be grown from southernmost England in the north to New Zealand in the south. It is particularly popular in Spain, Italy, Greece, southern France, warmer parts of the USA, Australia and South Africa.
This very slow growing tree can take up to fifteen years or more to reach a height of 3 m and is generally propagated by seed. Its drought tolerance contributes to its widespread use as a roadside or park landscaping element.
Due to the palm's eventual size, it is not recommended for smaller residential gardens or yards. In addition, dead leaves must be removed by hand and the petioles produce hooked spines that can be quite dangerous.
