''Phoenix reclinata'' (''reclinata'' - Latin, reclining), the wild date palm, Arabian date palm or Senegal date palm, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

family native to tropical

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, the

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, the Arabian Peninsula,

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and the

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. It is also reportedly naturalized in

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, and the Leeward Islands. The plants are found from sea level to 3000 m, in rain forest clearings, monsoonal forests and rocky mountainsides.

Description

''Phoenix reclinata'' is a dioecious clumping palm, producing multiple stems from 7.5 to 15 m in height and 30 cm in width.

Foliage A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, s ...

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

and recurved, growing 2.5 to 4.5 m in length and 0.75 m in width. Leaf color is bright to deep green on 30 cm petioles with long, sharp spines at the base, with 20 to 40 leaves per crown. The plants are unisexual and florets appear at the top of the palm stem. Male florets are a dirty, pale yellow and fall off after blooming; females are small, globose and yellow-green.Roodt, Veronica (1992). ''Phoenix reclinata'' in ''The Shell Field Guide to the Common Trees of the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve''. Gaborone, Botswana: Shell Oil Botswana This species grows edible, oblong

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

, orange in color (when ripe), at 2.5 cm in diameter. The fruit are borne in large, pendant clusters and contain one seed each. Palms across the genus ''Phoenix'' readily hybridize with one another resulting in naturally occurring variations. They usually tolerate salt-spray, and moderate drought where the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

is permanently high.

Uses

In addition to the fruit, which attracts animals, including humans, the palm heart can be eaten as a vegetable. In KwaZulu-Natal, and the

Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the en ...

, Botswana, the sap is tapped shortly before flowering to make

palm wine Palm wine, known by several local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and is common in va ...

. The fibres of young, unopened leaves can be used to make carpets, kilts and brooms. The roots contain

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

and can be used to make a brown dye. They also produce an edible gum. The wood is lightweight and not particularly useful.

References

*Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland: Timber Press. / (Pages 403-404)

External links

Floridata Link

{{Taxonbar, from=Q161241 reclinata Flora of Africa Flora of the Comoros Flora of Madagascar Plants described in 1858 Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin