Phoenix canariensis

Phoenix canariensis is a large solitary palm, 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall, occasionally growing to 40 m (131 ft). The leaves are pinnate, 4–6 m (13–20 ft) long, with 80–100 leaflets on each side of the central rachis. 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.[3]

Common names in English include Canary Island date palm and pineapple palm. The common name in Spanish-speaking countries and in the Canary Islands is palmera canaria.

The approximate range of cultivation for Canary Island date palms in the US with little to no winter protection.

The Canary Island date palm is typically cultivated in wet-winter or Mediterranean climates, but also in wet-summer or humid subtropical climates like eastern Australia and the southeastern United States. There are even several instances of cultivated Canary Island Date Palms in high-latitude oceanic climates, such as Ireland, the UK, and the Channel Islands.[4] 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. It is a slowly growing tree, exclusively propagated by seed.

The palm is easily recognized through its crown of leaves and trunk characteristics. It is not uncommon to see Canary Island date palms pruned and trimmed to enhance the appearance.[5] 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 this palm.[6] The South American palm weevil causes them to droop, turn brown and die.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7][8]

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

In some areas, Phoenix 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, Australia, and New Zealand. [9][10][11] It is listed as invasive (naturalized) in coastal southerne California.[12] In Auckland, New Zealand, the palm has itself become a host for the naturalised Australian strangler fig, Ficus macrophylla.

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  Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm) collection at South Coast Wholesale Nursery San Diego, California
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  Mature Canary island Date in Melborne Florida.
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  P. canariensis fruit in Northern Florida.
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  Tall, Old Canary Island Palm in Phoenix Arizona.
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  Close-up of fruit
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  Canary Island Date palm growing in Hatteras North Carolina, about their northern limit unprotected on the east coast, many have died further south in cold snaps.
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  Close-up of flowers
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  Bark

• List of animal and plant symbols of the Canary Islands

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canary Island Date Palm.

• "Phoenix canariensis in the wild". Principes (Journal of the International Palm Society). 42 (2). April 1998. Retrieved 18 May 2008.