Canary Island date palm

Phoenix Canariensis

The term Phoenix comes from phoinix, the name of the date palm among the ancient Greeks who considered the tree to have come from the Phoenicians. The term dactylifera refers to the finger (dactylus in Latin) due to the shape of the fruit and to fero, “which bears” in Latin.

  • Common name: Canary Island date palm
  • Corsican name: Palma di i Canarii
  • French name: Palmier des Canaries, Dattier des Canaries
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Notes

Lined up in front of the facade of the Hôtel de Région and stretching their leaves towards the sky from the garden, the palm trees are not real trees but big leaves. The stem (“trunk”) actually consists of the petioles of dead leaves.

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History and oddities

One of the oldest plants cultivated by humans, the date palm has been cultivated for more than 6,000 years. Female trees are still hand pollinated by humans.
The ancient Greeks considered the tree to have come from the Phoenicians.