| Common Name: Canary Island Date Palm |
| Family: Arecaceae |
| Zone: 8 - 10 |
| Average Size: 20' H x 15' W |
<b>Identification:
- Solitary, single trunk with a stiff globular canopy
- Pinnate leaf, up to 20 feet long
- Leaflets at base of petiole become thick spines
- Old petiole bases present at crown shaft, shed to expose coarse surface with prominent horizontal ridges
- Bright orange flower stalk, 3 feet long in the mass of leaves
- Small orange fruit (date), egg-shaped, 1 inch long in summer
|
| Notes: Of all the palms hardy in the lower South, the Canary Island Date Palm is by far the most distinctive and stately. Old specimens can be found lining streets in New Orleans and scattered throughout the LSU campus. Slow growing and expensive to purchase as mature plants with a trunk, young plants require ample space to grow and develop laterally. Although related to the commercially grown Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera), the small fruit though edible is not very palatable. Rotting fruit on the ground may become a maintenance issue in the landscape. |
| Campus Location: Dairy Science Building, south lawn |
|
| click thumbnails to enlarge |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
