Canary Island Date Palm

taxobox
name = Canary Island Date Palm

---

image_caption = "Phoenix canariensis"
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Monocots
unranked_ordo = Commelinids
ordo = Arecales
familia = Arecaceae
genus = "Phoenix"
species = "P. canariensis"
binomial = "Phoenix canariensis"
binomial_authority = 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 up to 20 m tall but usually does not reach 10 m, 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.

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. It can be cultivated where temperatures never fall below -10/-12 °C, although it will require some protection if cold periods are longer than normal. It can be grown from southernmost England in the north to Southern Chile in the south. It is particularly popular in Spain, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Croatia, Greece, south and western France, warmer parts of the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

This slow growing tree is exclusively 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 are dangerous to be removed by hand as the petioles are armed with large spines.

Invasiveness

In California, New Zealand and Australia, "P. canariensis" has proven to be an invasive plant. In New Zealand, it has invaded a range of habitats, including dense rainforest. It also invades mangrove wetlands, and is salt tolerant. The seeds are spread by birds, and are at first difficult to distinguish from native palm species. New Zealand's Landcare Research has classified the palm as a 'sleeper weed' - "a plant that spreads slowly and goes unnoticed until it becomes widespread". In Auckland, New Zealand, the palm has itself become a host for the naturalised Australian strangler fig, "Ficus macrophylla".

External links

*Principes (Journal of the International Palm Society) [http://www.palms.org/principes/1998/canariensis.htm Phoenix canariensis in the wild] , Vol 42, No 2, April 1998. Accessed 18 May 2008.
* Auckland Regional Council, [http://www.arta.govt.nz/arc/index.cfm?ADC408DC-BCD4-1A24-9C1E-75698BA9D6B9 New research rings biosecurity alarms] . Accessed 18 May 2008.