Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Phoenix roebelenii O'Brien (ARECACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Dwarf date, Pygmy date

Description

Solitary feathered-leaf palm, slender stem, up to 2 m tall, sometimes more. Peg-like persistent leaf bases on trunk; crown dense, leaves c. 2 m long, gently curved and drooping. Leaflets glossy green, slender, evenly spaced. Fruits small ovoid, purple-black when ripe, edible.

Ecology

Riverbanks in dry lowland deciduous forest.

Distribution

Northeast India, Myanmar.

Uses

Fruits are edible. Often cultivated as an ornamental, quite tolerant to many growing conditions from indoor to open sunny locations.