Phoenix canariensis

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Phoenix canariensis
Phoenix canariensis (Puntallana) 01.jpg
Phoenix canariensis at Puntallana on La Palma in the Canary Islands
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Phoenix
Species:
P. canariensis
Binomial name
Phoenix canariensis

Phoenix canariensis, the Canary Island date palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Northwestern Africa. It is a relative of Phoenix dactylifera , the true date palm. It is the natural symbol of the Canary Islands, together with the canary Serinus canaria . [2]

Contents

Description

Phoenix canariensis is a large, solitary palm, 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall, the tallest recorded being 36 m (118 ft) tall. [3] The leaves are pinnate, 4–6 m (13–20 ft) long, with 80–100 leaflets on each side of the central rachis. There are typically around 75 to 125 living leaves on a tree; the record is for a tree on the French Riviera which bore 443 green, fresh leaves at one time. [4] The fruit is an oval, yellow to orange drupe 2 cm (0.79 in) long and 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter, and containing a single large seed; the fruit pulp is edible, but not the best of dates. [5]

Names

The common name in English is Canary Island date palm; it is also sometimes known by its acronym "CIDP". [6] It has also been called "pineapple palm".[ citation needed ] The common name in the Canary Islands and other Spanish-speaking countries is palmera canaria.

Cultivation

The Canary Island date palm is typically cultivated in wet-winter or Mediterranean climates, but also in wet-summer or humid subtropical climates such as eastern Australia and the southeastern United States. It is also increasingly being cultivated in higher latitude oceanic climates, such as Ireland, the UK, and the Channel Islands. [7] It can be cultivated where temperatures rarely fall below −10 or −12 °C (14 or 10 °F) for extended periods, although it will require some protection if cold periods are longer than normal. Younger specimens, without a sizeable trunk, are more prone to freezing. It is a slow-growing tree, growing up to 60 cm per year, [8] and is propagated exclusively by seed. Mature P. canariensis are often used in ornamental landscaping and are collected and transplanted to their new planting location.

The palm is easily identified by its crown of leaves and trunk characteristics. Canary Island date palms are often pruned and trimmed to remove older leaves. [9] When pruned, the bottom of the crown, also called the nut, appears to have a pineapple shape.

The Canary Island date palm is susceptible to Fusarium wilt, a fungal disease commonly transmitted through contaminated seed, soil, and pruning tools. Spread of the disease can be reduced when pruning tools are disinfected before use on each palm. [10] In some parts of its cultivated range it is attacked by the invasive South American palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum and Asian palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus . Adult weevils are preferentially attracted to chemicals emitted by injured or damaged palms. The weevil larvae burrow into the crown then feast on the sugar-rich apical bud, which provides a path for bacterial or fungal pests. This typically kills the apical bud after some time, either due to secondary infection by pathogens or due to heavy infestation of larvae. This then causes the leaves to droop, turn brown and die. [6] [11]

P. canariensis has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [12] [13]

Use in landscaping in California

The Canary Island date appears in many notable examples of landscaping, particularly in the American state of California. The Canary Island date palm, according to legend, was first planted in what is now San Diego in 1769 by Spanish missionary Junípero Serra, a founder of the California mission system. [14] Though this story is likely false, Spanish missionaries did cultivate true date palms, rather than Canary Island date palms, in California in the late 1700s for the fruit. [15] However, a Canary Island date palm was famously known as "The Serra Palm"—the palm supposedly planted by Junipero Serra in San Diego—before the tree's death in 1957. [14]

Other famous plantings of the Canary Island date palm in California include the campus of Stanford University, which contains 600 Canary Island date palms in its Mediterranean-inspired campus. Stanford's entrance, Palm Drive, is one example of extensive use of the Canary Island date palm in landscaping, including 166 of the species along the stretch leading to the campus. [16] In Healdsburg, California Canary Island date palms were planted in the town's Plaza in 1897 as part of a campaign to promote the Sonoma County town as a tropical paradise. [17] Oracle Park in San Francisco—the stadium of the Major League Baseball team, the San Francisco Giants, is another notable example of the Canary Island date palm in Californian landscaping, containing a host of the species at the stadium's entrance and beyond left field. [18]

Other uses

In the Canary Islands, the sap of this date palm is used to make palm syrup. La Gomera is the only island where the syrup is produced in the Canary Islands.

Invasiveness

In some areas, P. canariensis has proven to be an invasive plant. In Bermuda and the United States (Florida and California), it is considered naturalised (lives wild in a region where it is not indigenous). It has also spread in some areas of peninsular Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Greece, North Africa, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. [19] [20] [21] It is listed as invasive in coastal southern California. [22] In Auckland, New Zealand, the palm has itself become a host for the naturalised Australian strangler fig Ficus macrophylla .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Date palm</span> Palm tree cultivated for its sweet fruit

Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Australia, South Asia, and California. It is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. P. dactylifera is the type species of genus Phoenix, which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms.

<i>Pinus canariensis</i> Species of conifer in the family Pinaceae

Pinus canariensis, the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Phoenix</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants of the palm family

Phoenix is a genus of 14 species of palms, native to an area starting from the Canary Islands in the west, across northern and central Africa, to the extreme southeast of Europe (Crete), and continuing throughout southern Asia, from Anatolia east to southern China and Malaysia. The diverse habitats they occupy include swamps, deserts, and mangrove sea coasts. Most Phoenix species originate in semi-arid regions, but usually occur near high groundwater levels, rivers, or springs. The genus is unusual among members of subfamily Coryphoideae in having pinnate, rather than palmate leaves; tribe Caryoteae also have pinnate or bipinnate leaves.

<i>Arbutus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the heather family Ericaceae

Arbutus is a genus of 12 accepted species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islands and North America, and commonly called madrones or strawberry trees. The name Arbutus was taken by taxonomists from Latin, where it referred to the species now designated Arbutus unedo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chavez Ravine Arboretum</span> Historic site in Academy Road, Los Angeles

The Chavez Ravine Arboretum, in Elysian Park, just north of Dodger Stadium, at 1025 Elysian Park Dr, Los Angeles, California, contains more than 100 varieties of trees from around the world, including what are believed to be the oldest and largest Cape Chestnut, Kauri, and Tipu trees in the United States. Admission to the arboretum is free.

<i>Washingtonia filifera</i> Species of palm tree

Washingtonia filifera, the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm, is a flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the far southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico. Growing to 15–20 m (49–66 ft) tall by 3–6 m (10–20 ft) broad, it is an evergreen monocot with a tree-like growth habit. It has a sturdy, columnar trunk and waxy, fan-shaped (palmate) leaves.

<i>Washingtonia robusta</i> Species of palm

Washingtonia robusta, known by common name as the Mexican fan palm, Mexican washingtonia, or skyduster is a palm tree native to the Baja California peninsula and a small part of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. Despite its limited native distribution, W. robusta one of the most widely cultivated subtropical palms in the world. It is naturalized in Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, Texas, parts of the Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Réunion,.

<i>Quercus canariensis</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus canariensis, the Algerian oak, Mirbeck's oak or zean oak, is an oak native to southern Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the scientific name, it does not occur naturally today in the Canary Islands. It is placed in section Quercus.

<i>Rhynchophorus ferrugineus</i> Pest weevil on palm (oil, coconut, date)

The palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is one of two species of snout beetle known as the red palm weevil, Asian palm weevil or sago palm weevil. The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between 2 and 4 centimetres long, and are usually a rusty red colour—but many colour variants exist and have often been classified as different species. Weevil larvae can excavate holes in the trunks of palm trees up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant. As a result, the weevil is considered a major pest in palm plantations, including the coconut palm, date palm and oil palm.

<i>Malva acerifolia</i> Species of plant in the family Malvaceae

Malva acerifolia, also frequently known under the synonyms Lavatera acerifolia or Malva canariensis is a shrub endemic to the Canary Islands, belonging to the family Malvaceae.

<i>Genista canariensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Genista canariensis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, known by the common names Canary broom, Canary Islands broom or florist's genista. It is native to the Canary Islands, but it grows as an introduced species in mainland Europe, especially Spain, and on other continents. It has been introduced to California and Washington State in the US. This is a vigorous upright evergreen shrub growing to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall by 1.5 m (4.9 ft) broad, with hairy green stems. The leaves are made up of oval-shaped blue-green leaflets each up to a centimeter long and densely hairy on the undersides. The raceme inflorescence holds up to 20 bright yellow pea-like flowers. The fruit is a legume pod one to two centimeters long containing several dark brown seeds.

<i>Euphorbia canariensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia canariensis, commonly known as the Canary Island spurge, Hercules club or in Spanish cardón, is a succulent member of the genus Euphorbia and family Euphorbiaceae endemic to the Canary Islands. It is the plant symbol of the island of Gran Canaria.

<i>Rhynchophorus cruentatus</i> Species of beetle

The palmetto weevil is an insect native to Florida, but has been found as far as southern Texas to the west and South Carolina to the north. It is the largest weevil in North America and the only kind of palm weevil in the continental United States. It infests palms and is considered a pest. Its main target is the Canary Island date palm, but date palms, sabal palms, saw palmetto, Washingtonia, Pritchardia, royal palms, Latania, coconut palms, Caryota, and Bismarckia are also susceptible. Distressed palm trees are usually attacked, which makes transplanted trees a frequent target. The Palmetto Weevils mate at the base of the palm branches where the females deposit their eggs. The grubs then eat into the palm tree, killing it. After the larvae have turned into adult weevils, the damage can be seen, but by then, it is considered to be too late for the tree. The life cycle from egg to adult for a palmetto weevil is about 84 days. For prevention, it is recommended an appropriate insecticidal crown drench is done twice a year for high value palms.

<i>Rhynchophorus vulneratus</i> Species of beetle

The palm weevil Rhynchophorus vulneratus is one of two species of snout beetle known as the red palm weevil, Asian palm weevil, or Sago palm weevil. The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between 2 and 4 centimetres long, and vary from a rusty red colour to almost entirely black; many colour variants exist and have led to considerable confusion with other species. Weevil larvae of these species can excavate holes in the trunk of a palm tree up to 1 metre long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant. As a result, these weevils are considered major pests in palm plantations, including the coconut palm, date palm and oil palm.

<i>Phoenix atlantica</i> Species of palm

Phoenix atlantica is an endangered species in the palm family Arecaceae, in the genus Phoenix. It is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands.

<i>Rhynchophorus</i> Genus of beetles

Rhynchophorus, or common name palm weevils, is a genus of beetles in the weevil family, Curculionidae. Palm weevils are major pests of various trees in the family Arecaceae throughout the tropics including: coconut, Areca catechu, species of the genus Phoenix, and Metroxylon sagu. Two species are invasive pests outside their native ranges, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and Rhynchophorus palmarum.

<i>Rhynchophorus palmarum</i> Weevil pest of coconut-/date-/oil-palms

The South American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum, is a species of snout beetle. The adults are relatively large black beetles of approximately one and a half inch in length, and the larvae may grow to two inches in length.

<i>Canarina canariensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the bellflower family

Canarina canariensis is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae, commonly known as the Canary Island bellflower, and known locally as bicácaro.

Diocalandra frumenti, commonly known as the palm weevil borer, the lesser coconut weevil, or four-spotted coconut weevil, is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It occurs in Africa, Southern Asia and Northern Australia, and is a pest of coconut and other palm trees.

References

  1. ↑ Beech, E. (2017). "Phoenix canariensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T13416997A13417001. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T13416997A13417001.en .
  2. ↑ Símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias [Natural Symbols for the Canary Islands] (Ley 7/1991) (in Spanish). Vol. 151. 30 April 1991. pp. 20946–20947 – via BOE.
  3. ↑ "Canary Islands Date Palm on the estate De plataneras in Tenoya, Canary Islands, Spain". Monumental trees. 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  4. ↑ anonymous (September 4, 1920). "<not recorded>". Gardener's Chronicle. 68 (third series) (<not stated>): 124.
  5. ↑ Little, Elbert L. (1994) [1980]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Chanticleer Press ed.). Knopf. p. 324. ISBN   0394507614.
  6. 1 2 Giblin-Davis, Robin M; Faleiro, Jose Romeno; Jacas, Josep A; Peña, Jorge E. Biology and Management of the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. Potential Invasive Pests of Agricultural Crops. doi:10.13140/2.1.1029.1202 . Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  7. ↑ Carter, Michael A. F. "Palms in the Channel Islands". The European Palm Society. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Fox, Arabella (2022-04-27). "Everything You Need to Know About Canary Island Date Palm". Evergreen Trees Direct. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  9. ↑ "Canary Island Date Palm – Phoenix canariensis – A–E – Palm Blog". realpalmtrees.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  10. ↑ Elliott, Monica. "Fusarium Wilt of Canary Island Date Palm". UF/IFAS Extension Service. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector – Phoenix canariensis". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 77. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  14. 1 2 Trent, Heidi; Seymour, Joey (2010). "Examining California's First Palm Tree: The Serra Palm". Journal of San Diego History.
  15. ↑ Zona, Scott (2008). "The horticultural history of the Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)". Garden History.
  16. ↑ magazine, STANFORD (2013-09-01). "High and Mighty". stanfordmag.org. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  17. ↑ "The Plaza Walk". ci.healdsburg.ca.us. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  18. ↑ Farmer, Jared (2013). Trees in Paradise: a California History. Norton and Company.
  19. ↑ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". Apps.kew.org. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  20. ↑ "Bonap" (PNG). Bonap.net. 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  21. ↑ "Phoenix canariensis – Species Page – APA: Alabama Plant Atlas". Floraofalabama.org. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  22. ↑ "Cal-IPC: Phoenix canariensis". Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
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