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. Phoenix canariensis is a large, solitary palm, 10β20 m 33β66 ft tall, the tallest recorded being 36 m ft tall.
There are typically around 75 to living leaves on a tree, but the record number were on a tree on the French Riviera , which bore green, fresh leaves at one time. The fruit pulp is edible, but is not a particularly good date.
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 south-eastern United States. It is also increasingly being cultivated in higher latitude oceanic climates, such as Ireland , the UK, and the Channel Islands.
Younger specimens, without a sizeable trunk, are more prone to freezing. It is a slow-growing tree, increasing in height by up to 60 cm per year, [ 8 ] and is propagated exclusively by seed. Mature P. The palm is easily identified by its crown of leaves and trunk characteristics.
