Date
The date palm is a palm tree that produces very sweet fruits. It grows well in hot climates, often in an oasis in desert areas.
This page provides some basic information about the date palm, together with date photos and some date proverbs.
Basic information on date palm
| Scientific name: | Phoenix dactylifera |
| English: | Date Date palm True date palm |
| Dutch: | Dadelpalm Dadel |
| Spanish: | Palma datilera Palmera real Dátil |
| French: | Palmier-dattier Datte Dattier Dattier cultivé |
| German: | Echte Dattelpalme Dattel Dattelpalme |
| Italian: | Palma da datteri Dattero |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Origin: | Persian gulf area or possibly desert areas of north Africa. |
| Distribution: | Mainly in northern Africa, south and south west Asia: Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan. Also grown but less important in Spain, Italy, Mexico and California. |
| Evergreen or deciduous: | Evergreen |
| Flowers: | Date palms have separate male and female plants. Only female plants produce fruits. Flowers are also edible. |
| Leaves: | The pinnate leaves are 3 to 5 meter long. |
| Fruits: | Date fruits have an elongated oval-cylindrical shape. They are 3 to 7 cm long and 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Each fruit has one seed of about 2 cm long and 6 to 8 mm in diameter. Depending on the variety, the unripe fruits have a bright red to bright yellow color. Date fruits are very sweet as they have a high sugar content of around 80%. |
| Climate and weather: | Dates do well in hot climates, and are often grown in oasis in desert areas. |
| Pollination: | Dates are wind pollinated. But in orchards they are usually hand pollinated. |
| Height: | Date palm trees can be 15 to 25 meters tall. |
| Crown size: | Diameter 6 to 10 meters. |
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| Growth rate: | It takes usually about 7 years before a date palm starts producing fruits. |
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| Propagation: | By seed. Only 50% of the seeds will produce a female tree which can produce fruits. |
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| Uses: | Date fruits are used as a staple food in the middle east. They are also used as a
snack or to make date wine Not only the fruits, but also the flowers of date are edible. Date palms can be tapped and the sweet sap is then used to make palm sugar or to produce alcoholic drinks. Young leaves of the date palm can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. |
Date photos
Proverbs about date
- Better a handful of dry dates and content therewith than to own the gate of Peacocks and be kicked in the eye by a broody camel.
- Don't show me the palm tree, show me the dates.
- From little date seeds, great things are born.
- He has fallen from the donkey, but has found a date.
- If heaven drops a date, open your mouth.
- Mock the palm tree only when the date harvest is over.
- Swallow a date with its stone.
Quotes
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Recipes
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