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Phoenix (plant)
Encyclopedia
Phoenix is a genus
of 14 species
of palms
, native from the Canary Islands
east across northern and central Africa
, the extreme southeast of Europe
(Crete
), and southern Asia
from Turkey
east to southern China
and Malaysia. The diverse habitats they occupy include swamp
s, desert
s, and mangrove
sea coasts. Most Phoenix species originate in semiarid regions but usually occur near high groundwater
levels, rivers or springs
. The genus is unique among members of the subfamily Coryphoideae
, being the only one with pinnate
, rather than palmate leaves. The generic name derives from (phoinix) or (phoinikos), the Greek
word for the date palm used by Theophrastus
and Pliny the Elder
. It most likely referred to the Phoenicia
ns, Phoenix
, the son of Amyntor
and Cleobule
in Homer's Iliad
, or the Phoenix
, the sacred bird of Ancient Egypt
. The palms were more numerous and widespread in the past than what they are at present.
, 1–6 m long, all share the common feature of metamorphosed lower-leaf segments into long, vicious spines (acanthophylls). The leaves have short or absent petioles
and possess the rare feature among pinnate
palms of induplicate (V-shaped) leaflets. The plants are dioecious
, with male and female flower
s 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 multi-branched panicles 30–90 cm long. The inflorescence
emerges from a usually boat-shaped, leathery bract
, forming large, pendent clusters. Phoenix fruit
develops from one carpel as a drupe
, 1–7 cm long, yellow to red-brown or dark purple when mature, with one elongate, deeply-grooved seed
.
The reproduction is by seeds and also by vegetative multiplication. Many species of Phoenix, produce vegetative offshoots called bulbils from basal portions of their stems which, on rooting, develop new sapling.
Close relationship among the 14 species is illustrated by the ease of hybridisation and cross-pollination (Moore, 1963; Munier, 1973). Several natural hybrids were hence obtained: P. dactylifera X. P. sylvestris (India); P. dactylifera × P. canariensis (Morocco, Algeria and Israel); P. dactylifera × P. reclinata (Senegal).
Phoenix species are used as food plants by the larvae
of some Lepidoptera
species including Paysandisia archon
and the Batrachedra
species B. amydraula (recorded on P. dactylifera), B. arenosella and B. isochtha (feeds exclusively on Phoenix spp.).
; the other species have only a thin layer of fruit pulp. The central soft part of the stem of Phoenix rupicola, P. acaulis, and P. 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 by India natives. The Phoenix 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
).
While P. dactylifera is grown for its edible dates, the Canary Island Date Palm (P. canariensis) and Pygmy Date Palm (P. roebelenii
) are widely grown as ornamental plants, but its 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 of P. canariensis is edible, but rarely eaten by humans because of their small size and thin flesh.
The different species of the genus frequently hybridise where they grow in proximity. This can be a problem when planting P. 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.
got its name from this genus because of its cultivation of Phoenix dactylifera, or date palms.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of 14 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of palms
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, native from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
east across northern and central Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, the extreme southeast of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
), and southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
east to southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Malaysia. The diverse habitats they occupy include swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s, and mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
sea coasts. Most Phoenix species originate in semiarid regions but usually occur near high groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
levels, rivers or springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. The genus is unique among members of the subfamily Coryphoideae
Coryphoideae
Coryphoideae is a subfamily of the palm tree family, Arecaceae....
, being the only one with pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
, rather than palmate leaves. The generic name derives from (phoinix) or (phoinikos), the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word for the date palm used by Theophrastus
Theophrastus
Theophrastus , a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He came to Athens at a young age, and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings, and...
and Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
. It most likely referred to the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns, Phoenix
Phoenix (Iliad)
In Greek mythology, Phoenix , son of Amyntor and Cleobule, is one of the Myrmidons led by Achilles in the Trojan War...
, the son of Amyntor
Amyntor
Amyntor , was an ancient Greek name attributed to several people both mythological and historical.- Mythological :...
and Cleobule
Cleobule
In Greek mythology, the name Cleobule refers to:*Wife of Aleus of Tegea, mother of Cepheus and Amphidamas.*Wife of Alector or Lacritus and mother of Leitus.*Daughter of Aeolus or Aeopolus, one of the possible mothers of Myrtilus by Hermes....
in Homer's Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
, or the Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, the sacred bird of Ancient Egypt
Bennu
The Bennu bird serves as the Egyptian correspondence to the phoenix, and is said to be the soul of the Sun-God Ra.-Egyptian description:...
. The palms were more numerous and widespread in the past than what they are at present.
Description
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 pinnate leavesLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, 1–6 m long, all share the common feature of metamorphosed lower-leaf segments into long, vicious spines (acanthophylls). The leaves have short or absent petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
and possess the rare feature among pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
palms of induplicate (V-shaped) leaflets. The plants are dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with male and female flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s on separate plants; pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
is by both wind and insect. The flowers are inconspicuous yellowish-brown and about 1 cm wide, but grouped on conspicuous large multi-branched panicles 30–90 cm long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
emerges from a usually boat-shaped, leathery bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
, forming large, pendent clusters. Phoenix fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
develops from one carpel as a drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, 1–7 cm long, yellow to red-brown or dark purple when mature, with one elongate, deeply-grooved seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
.
Ecology
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 extend to degraded forest margins in grasslands. In tropics most of them are found below 1250 m altitude. Branching of aerial trunk is rare and is mainly induced by injury to the terminal growing bud. Flowering and fruit is regular and annual.The reproduction is by seeds and also by vegetative multiplication. Many species of Phoenix, produce vegetative offshoots called bulbils from basal portions of their stems which, on rooting, develop new sapling.
Close relationship among the 14 species is illustrated by the ease of hybridisation and cross-pollination (Moore, 1963; Munier, 1973). Several natural hybrids were hence obtained: P. dactylifera X. P. sylvestris (India); P. dactylifera × P. canariensis (Morocco, Algeria and Israel); P. dactylifera × P. reclinata (Senegal).
Phoenix species are used as food plants by the larvae
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Paysandisia archon
Paysandisia archon
Paysandisia archon is a moth of the family Castniidae. It is native to Uruguay and central Argentina and has been accidentally introduced to Europe, where it is spreading rapidly. It is considered the only member of the genus Paysandisia....
and the Batrachedra
Batrachedra
Batrachedra is the largest genus in the moth family Batrachedridae.It includes the following species:*Batrachedra acrodeta*Batrachedra agaura*Batrachedra albanica*Batrachedra albicapitella*Batrachedra albistrigella...
species B. amydraula (recorded on P. dactylifera), B. arenosella and B. isochtha (feeds exclusively on Phoenix spp.).
Uses
The fruit of P. dactylifera, the date of commerce, is large with a thick layer of fruit pulp, edible, very sweet and rich in sugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
; the other species have only a thin layer of fruit pulp. The central soft part of the stem of Phoenix rupicola, P. acaulis, and P. 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 by India natives. The Phoenix 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
Palm wine
Palm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
).
While P. dactylifera is grown for its edible dates, the Canary Island Date Palm (P. canariensis) and Pygmy Date Palm (P. roebelenii
Phoenix roebelenii
Phoenix roebelenii is a species of date palm native to southeastern Asia from southwestern China , northern Laos and northern Vietnam,...
) are widely grown as ornamental plants, but its 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 of P. canariensis is edible, but rarely eaten by humans because of their small size and thin flesh.
The different species of the genus frequently hybridise where they grow in proximity. This can be a problem when planting P. 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.
Trivia
The city of Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
got its name from this genus because of its cultivation of Phoenix dactylifera, or date palms.
Species
- Phoenix acaulisPhoenix acaulisPhoenix acaulis or Dwarf Date Palm / Stemless Date Palm is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, endemic to northern India and Nepal. Found in altitudes from 350 to 1500 m, P. acaulis grows in scrubland, savannas and in pine forests. Trunks in this species remain underground or, at...
Roxb. – Dwarf Date Palm - Phoenix andamanensisPhoenix andamanensisPhoenix andamanensis is flowering plant in the palm family, in the Phoenix genus, from the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal below Myanmar. It is an endemic species of the Andaman Islands...
S.C.Barrow - Phoenix atlanticaPhoenix atlanticaPhoenix atlantica or Tamareira, is a endangered species in the palm family Arecaceae, in the genus Phoenix. It is native to the Cape Verde Islands.-Overview:...
, or Cape Verde palm, endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, erroneously characterized as a feral P. dactylifera. - Phoenix caespitosaPhoenix caespitosaPhoenix caespitosa is a species of flowering plant in the palm family native to the Arabian Peninsula and the deserts of Somalia. This species grows in large clumps near oases or underground springs...
Chiov. - Phoenix canariensis Chabaud – Canary Island Date Palm.
- Phoenix dactylifera L. – Date Palm.
- Phoenix loureiroiPhoenix loureiroiPhoenix loureiroi is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, indigenous to southern Asia, from the southern islands of the Philippines, India, southern Bhutan, Taiwan to Hong Kong...
Kunth (syn. P. humilis) - Phoenix paludosaPhoenix paludosaPhoenix paludosa or Mangrove Date Palm is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, indigenous to coastal regions of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and peninsular Malaysia. Clustering, to 5 m high, usually forming dense thickets, the leaves are 2 to 3 m long and...
Roxb. – Mangrove Date Palm. - Phoenix pusillaPhoenix pusillaPhoenix pusilla or Ceylon Date Palm is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka , they are found in lowlands, ridges and hills. No taller than 5 m, this species is usually solitary stemmed but clumps do occur naturally...
Gaertn. – Ceylon Date Palm. - Phoenix reclinataPhoenix reclinataPhoenix reclinata or Senegal Date Palm is a species of flowering plant in the palm family native to tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands. The plants are found from sea level to 3000 m, in rain forest clearings, monsoonal forests and rocky mountainsides.-Description:P...
Jacq. – Senegal Date Palm. - Phoenix roebeleniiPhoenix roebeleniiPhoenix roebelenii is a species of date palm native to southeastern Asia from southwestern China , northern Laos and northern Vietnam,...
O'Brien – Pygmy Date Palm. - Phoenix rupicolaPhoenix rupicolaPhoenix rupicola or Cliff Date Palm is a species of flowering plant in the Palm family, native to the mountainous forests of India and Bhutan from 300 to 1200 m, usually occurring on cliffs, hillsides and similar terrain...
T.Anderson – Cliff Date Palm. - Phoenix sylvestrisPhoenix sylvestrisPhoenix sylvestris also known as Silver Date Palm or Sugar Date Palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family native to southern Pakistan,most of India and Bangladesh. Growing in plains and scrubland to 1300 m, the fruit from this palm species is used to make wine and jelly...
(L.) Roxb. – Indian Date Palm. - Phoenix theophrasti Greuter – Cretan Date Palm
External links
- Date Palm in "Wildflowers of Israel"
- Scanpalm Phoenix