| Phoenix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Subfamily: | Coryphoideae |
| Tribe: | Phoeniceae |
| Genus: | Phoenix L.[1][2] |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Phoenix is agenus of 14species ofpalms,native to an area starting from theCanary Islands in the west, across northern and centralAfrica, to the extreme southeast ofEurope (Crete), and continuing throughout southernAsia, fromAnatolia east to southernChina andMalaysia.[3] The diverse habitats they occupy includeswamps,deserts, andmangrove sea coasts. MostPhoenix species originate insemi-arid regions, but usually occur near highgroundwater levels, rivers, orsprings. The genus is unusual among members of subfamilyCoryphoideae in havingpinnate, rather thanpalmate leaves; tribeCaryoteae also have pinnate or bipinnate leaves.[4]The palms were more numerous and widespread in the past than they are at present.[citation needed] SomePhoenix palms have become naturalised in other parts of the world; in particular, thedate palm's long history of cultivation means that escaped plants in the past have long-since become ingrained into the native ecosystems of countries far from its original range in the Middle East.
The generic name derives from φοῖνιξ (phoinix) or φοίνικος (phoinikos), the Greek word for the date palm used byTheophrastus andPliny the Elder. It most likely referred to either thePhoenicians;Phoenix, the son of Amyntor and Cleobule inHomer'sIliad; or thephoenix, thesacred bird of Ancient Egypt.[5]
This genus is mostly medium to robust in size, but also includes a few dwarf species; trunks are solitary in four species, suckering and clumped in nine, of which one has a prostrate ground trunk. Many of the trunked species do not form above-ground stems for several years. The pinnateleaves, 1–6 m long, all share the common feature of metamorphosed lower-leaf segments into long, vicious spines (acanthophylls). The leaves have short or absentpetioles and possess the rare feature amongpinnate palms of induplicate (V-shaped) leaflets. The plants aredioecious, with male and femaleflowers on separate plants;pollination is by both wind and insect. The flowers are inconspicuous yellowish-brown and about 1 cm wide, but grouped on conspicuous large multibranched panicles 30–90 cm long. Theinflorescence emerges from a usually boat-shaped, leatherybract, forming large, pendent clusters.Phoenixfruit develops from onecarpel as aberry, 1–7 cm long, yellow to red-brown or dark purple when mature, with one elongated, deeply groovedseed.
A majority of the forest palms grow under the shade of dominating forests trees along fragile hill slopes and stream courses in warm, humid conditions. The palms are found growing on a wide variety of soils, often extending to degraded forest margins in grasslands. In the tropics, most are found below 1250 m altitude. Branching of the aerial trunk is rare and is mainly induced by injury to the terminal growing bud. Flowering and fruit are regular and annual.
The reproduction is by seeds and by vegetative multiplication. Many species ofPhoenix produce vegetative offshoots called bulbils from basal portions of their stems which, on rooting, develop new saplings.Close relationship among the 14 species is illustrated by the ease of hybridisation and cross-pollination.[6] Several natural hybrids were hence obtained:P. dactylifera ×P. sylvestris (India),P. dactylifera ×P. canariensis (Morocco, Algeria and Israel), andP. dactylifera ×P. reclinata (Senegal).Phoenix species are used as food plants by thelarvae of someLepidoptera species, includingPaysandisia archon and theBatrachedra speciesB. amydraula (recorded onP. dactylifera),B. arenosella andB. isochtha (feeds exclusively onPhoenix spp.). They are also hosts to the palm weevil borerDiocalandra frumenti.[7]
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The fruit ofP. dactylifera, the date of commerce, is large with a thick layer of fruit pulp, edible, very sweet and rich insugar; the other species have only a thin layer of fruit pulp. The central soft part of the stem ofP. rupicola,P. acaulis, andP. humilis is a rich source of starch. Palms are felled to extract this central ‘pith’ which is dried, powdered, stored and used for preparation of bread in the Indian subcontinent.[8] TheP. canariensis sap is cooked to a sweet, thick syrup.P. sylvestris Roxb. is widely used in India as a source of sugar. The sugary sap from some African palms yields country liquor on fermentation (palm wine).
WhileP. dactylifera is grown for its edible dates, the Canary Island date palm (P. canariensis) and pygmy date palm (P. roebelenii) are widely grown asornamental plants, but their dates are used as food for livestock and poultry. The Canary Island date palm differs from the date palm in having a stouter trunk, more leaves to the crown, more closely spaced leaflets, and deep green rather than grey-green leaves. The fruit ofP. canariensis is edible, but rarely eaten by humans because of their small size and thin flesh.
The different species of the genus frequentlyhybridise where they grow in proximity. This can be a problem when plantingP. canariensis as an ornamental plant, as the hybrid palms are aesthetically inferior and do not match the pure-bred plants when planted in avenues, etc.[citation needed]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Phoenix acaulisRoxb. | dwarf date palm | Himalayas |
| Phoenix andamanensisS.C.Barrow | Andaman date palm | Andaman Islands | |
 | Phoenix atlanticaA.Chev., | Cape Verde palm | endemic to theCape Verde Islands, erroneously characterized as a feralP. dactylifera[9][10] |
| Phoenix caespitosaChiov. | Horn of Africa date palm | Djibouti, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman | |
 | Phoenix canariensisJ. Benjamin Chabaud | Canary Island date palm | native to Canary Islands, naturalized in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Azores, Madeira, Spain, Portugal, Southern Europe, Cabo Verde, South Africa, Northern Africa, Middle East, India, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bermuda |
.jpg) | Phoenix dactyliferaL. | date palm | probably native to southwestern Asia, naturalized in Spain, Portugal, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, northern and western Africa, Mauritius, Réunion, China, India, Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, California, Baja California, Sonora, El Salvador, Caribbean |
 | Phoenix loureiroiKunth (syn.P. humilis) | Loureiro's date palm | China, India, Himalayas, Indochina, Philippines |
.jpg) | Phoenix paludosaRoxb. | mangrove date palm | Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, Sumatra, Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
 | Phoenix pusillaGaertn. | Ceylon date palm | India, Sri Lanka |
 | Phoenix reclinataJacq. | Senegal date palm | Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Arabian Peninsula |
 | Phoenix roebeleniiO'Brien | pygmy date palm | Yunnan, Indochina |
 | Phoenix rupicolaT.Anderson | cliff date palm | Assam, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, naturalized in Andaman Islands and West Indies |
 | Phoenix sylvestris(L.) Roxb. | Indian date palm | Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar; naturalized in southern China and the West Indies |
 | Phoenix theophrastiGreuter | Cretan date palm[11] | Turkey, Greek Islands |
 | †Phoenix windmillis | Green River Formation, USA |
A large number of fossil woods with anatomical features resembling the genusPhoenix have been excavated fromDeccan Intertrappean formation inIndia ofMaastrichtian-Danian age (65-67 my). Discovery of biocompounds from the fossil woods have affinity with the biocompounds known from modernPhoenix species.[12]
APhoenix seed from the latestPaleocene has been excavated from the Petit Pâtis quarry inRivecourt,France.[13]
