Botanical Description
The Latin name derives from Phoenix (as the Phoenicians were supposed to have first spread the plants) Dactylifera (from dactylus, ‘date’) and fero (‘I bear’).
The tree grows up to 30m tall with a very slender trunk, covered with the remains of sheaths from fallen leaves. Leaves are 3-6m long, cut deeply into leaflets, rigid with sharp tips and blue green in colour.
Flowers
Male and female flowers on different trees; small; white in colour; fragrant; clustered up to 120cm long.
Fruits
Known as dates; edible; dark orange when ripe; 3-7 cm long; contain single grooved woody seed.
Flowering
Late spring.
Fruiting
Summer months.
Habitat
Cultivated throughout UAE at all elevations; tolerant to moderate salinity.
Distribution
Date palms are distributed globally between Somalia in the south and Spain in the north, with concentrations in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Iraq and Iran.
There is doubt about the exact location of the origin of Date Palm, but most experts agree that it was originally found only in the desert oases of North Africa, Arabia, western Asia and Persia. From there it was carried to Pakistani and Indian arid regions as cultivated trees, with some specimens later transported as far as the Arizona desert in America.
Uses
Dry or soft dates are eaten out of hand, or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings. Dates can also be dehydrated, ground and mixed with grain to form a nutritious stock feed, which is fed to camels and horses.
Almost every part of the tree is useful; date trunks were traditionally used to build houses and forts. Dried leaves (Barasati) used in roofs and fences or as sand barrier. Mats, baskets, belts and camel saddles are made from semi-dried leaves.