Phoenix dactylifera 'Oasis Errachidia'

This is the date palm offered as 'Oasis Errachidia'. Phoenix dactylifera is a tall feather palm from the hot, dry lands around the Persian Gulf and one of the oldest fruit trees in cultivation, the basis of oasis farming from Morocco to Pakistan.

Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, the slender grey-green trunks often sucker at the base, and the stiff, glaucous leaves carry long spines on the lower stalk. The notes below describe the species.

At a glance

• Native range: Persian Gulf region; long cultivated across North Africa and the Mediterranean
• Mature size: 10–30 m (mostly 15–25 m)
• Light: full sun
• Water: needs deep moisture for good growth; tolerates sandy, saline and alkaline soils
• Cold hardiness: short frosts to about −5 °C without serious harm; brief dips to about −10 °C survived by established palms
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors in warm, dry climates

Care

Plant in full sun with access to deep moisture. It thrives where summers are hot and dry and copes much less well with cold, wet winters than the Canary Island date palm. Rain and high humidity during flowering spoil the fruit crop. The leaf spines are long and sharp.

Why Palmpedia: Grown in our greenhouse in Almeirim, Portugal, and supplied in 15 L to 35 L pots.