Pygmy Date Palm
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Pygmy Date Palm |
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Phoenix roebelinii O'Brien |
The Pygmy Date Palm or Miniature Date Palm (Phoenix roebelinii) is a species of date palm native to southeastern Asia. It is a small, slow-growing slender tree growing to 2 m tall. The leaves are 60-120 cm long, pinnate with around 100 leaflets arranged in a single plane (unlike the related P. lourierii where the leaflets are in two planes). Each leaflet is 15-25 cm long and 1 cm broad, slightly drooping, and grey-green in colour with scurfy pubescence below. The flowers are small, yellowish, produced on a 45 cm inflorescence. The fruit is a 1 cm drupe resembling a small, thin-fleshed date.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
The Pygmy Date Palm is a popular ornamental plant in subtropical areas, including southern California, coastal Texas, and Florida.