Canary Islands date palm

Phoenix canariensis

The Canary Islands date palm is a native of the Canary Islands and the emblem of the city of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. It is found throughout the islands where it is protected by law.

The stout trunk grows to about 20 m high and the pinnate leaves which have some 150 - 200 pairs of leaflets, can be up to 6 m long. The small yellowish male and female flowers are on separate plants (this tree is a female). The fruits are produced in large clusters and are edible, but smaller and less fleshy than the dates sold in shops which come from Phoenix dactylifera.

In the Canary Islands, the leaves are used to make baskets and to decorate houses and churches on Palm Sunday. The trunks are also tapped to produce a thick sweet syrup, “palm honey”.

Find out more

You can see a Canary Islands date palm in the Temperate House

See also: date palm (Phoenix dactylifera)

Search Kew's electronic Plant Information Centre for scientific information about Phoenix canariensis

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