Scientific name
Common name
Family
Origin
Mediterranean
Year planted
1997
Flowering
Summer
Description
The cretan date palm tree is one of the 2 native palm species of the Mediterranean region. It has a very dense crown and, like most palm trees, it is a dioecious plant: there are male and female specimens.
It can reach up to 17 meters in height and its leaves up to 4 meters in length, with yellow or orange thorns as a defense mechanism against predators. The flowers are born in groups (inflorescence): in male specimens they are small white flowers, while in females they are yellow and give off a bad smell as a defense mechanism.
The fruits are not very fleshy and edible, they are yellow at first and brown when ripe.
Marimurtra’s specimens
In Marimurtra is only one in the entire garden and it comes from seeds donated by the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden (Germany), collected in Crete.
Did you know that…?
The Greek philosopher and botanist Theophrastus already described and classified it 300 years before Christ, but scientists did not recognize it until 1967. It is used to make Easter palms.
Threat level (UICN)
Main uses
Raunkiaer Life Forms
