The Senegal date palm, Phoenix reclinata, has decorative, nutritional and practical uses. It is distinguished from its cousin, Phoenix canariensis, by its multiple thinner trunks.
Identity Card
Taxonomy
Detailed Informations
Etymology
Phoenix is the name given to these types of palms since antiquity. Reclinata, “reclining” in Latin, refers to the plant’s habit once mature.
Description and flowering period
This palm with an arched crown reaches up to 15 meters in height. It has multiple slender stipes (trunk-like stems) which form a relatively dense clump surrounded by shorter offshoots. The persistent and shiny green crown consists of recurved spiny pinnate leaves reaching 2 to 3 meters in length. The petioles (leaf-stalks) are lined with long and sharp yellow or orange spikes. The inflorescences emerge from within the crown. They are 1 meter long panicles. The species is dioecious, which is to say that individual either produce male flowers (cream-coloured or pale-yellow), or female flowers (yellow to orange). Fruits are small, orange when ripe and only contain one seed. They are very attractive to birds.
Habitat
It requires a fresh yet free-draining soil in full sun. can tolerate short periods of drought and the occasional light frosts. The plant dies if temperatures fall below - 6°C.
Uses
- Ornamental.
- Food & drink: The palm-heart is eaten as a vegetable; the fruits are similar to the common date. The sap can be tapped to make palm wine.
- Traditional crafts: it is used to create carpets and brooms (from young leaf fibres) and to obtain a brown dye (from tannins extracted from the roots).
Notes
Since the year 2000, it has been subject to attacks of the caterpillar Paysandisia archon. The “Palm-moth”, which feeds on palm leaves and stems, often to the point of causing irreparable damages.
Translated by: François Saint-Hillier – MNHN
