75 Date Palm Tree Facts: From Cultivation To Harvesting The Fruit

Date palm, a member of the palm family of Arecaceae, is a well-known plant that bears one-seeded fruit.

The scientific name of this plant is Phoenix dactylifera. The species name 'dactylifera' has its origin in the Greek word 'daktylos', which translates to 'date', and also 'finger'.

You may wonder, why is it called date fruit? Well, it's because of the fruit's elongated shape that resembles a finger. Dates are borne by exceptionally large trees that grow to a height of 69 to 75 ft (21 to 23 m).

These trees grow best in tropical or subtropical areas, however, date trees are now cultivated in several parts of the world. The economic importance of date trees is never-ending. These trees also hold a significant place in various religions and cultures.

Why is the date palm tree so highly valued?

Date palm trees are one of the oldest plants to have been cultivated by humans. The history of this tree is quite elaborate, as fossils prove date palms have been in existence for nearly 500 million years. Hence, this spectacular tree has been associated with various religious and spiritual significances, making it highly valued.

The religious texts belonging to the three Abrahamic religions, namely, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, have all mentioned the date palm, further underlining the importance of date palms in the world of spirituality.

In fact, the Quran mentions date palms a total of 20 times!

In the desert ecosystem, the date palm is referred to as the 'tree of life'. This is because, while the desert is a place that fails to meet the necessities of humans, a date palm, with its abundant fruits and provision of shade, helps humans sustain themselves.

During ancient times, date palms provided the perfect building material. Did you know, the first mosque, known as the Quba Mosque, which was built in 622 A.D., was built with date palm fronds and trunks, in addition to some other materials? Apart from this magnificent structure, some regular houses were also built with wood derived from date palms.

In which countries can we find date palm trees?

While the exact origin of date palms is unknown, date trees naturally occur and are also cultivated in a wide range of tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

The countries in the Middle East, Asia, and northern parts of Africa are particularly well known for the cultivation of date trees. The largest production of dates is in Egypt, located in North Africa. In 2019 alone, Egypt produced 1.6 million tons (3527.4 lbs) of dates. Following Egypt are the countries of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

If you're wondering about the total number of date trees around the world, the number is nearly 100 million. These 100 million date trees are distributed in over 30 countries.

The largest number of date palm trees are found in Asia, with countries like Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain constituting a major number of these trees. Right after Asia, Africa has the second-highest number of date palms, followed by the Middle East.

Apart from these, some other countries where you can find date palm trees are India, the United States of America, Algeria, Iraq, and Sudan.

How do you grow a date palm tree?

It isn't really that easy a task to grow a date palm on your own. However, by following the right guidelines and having plenty of patience, you can grow a date palm in your very own backyard!

To begin with, you need to obtain date palm seeds, which then need to be germinated to sprout. In order to do that, the seeds must be cleaned and put in a bowl of water for up to 48 hours.

Following this, take the seeds and place them in some damp paper towel, and seal them in a bag. After approximately six to eight weeks, roots should emerge out of the seeds. This is when you transfer the seeds into pots.

The seed should not be buried more than 1 in (2.5 cm) in the soil. Remember to make holes at the bottom of the pots and water the growing seedling sufficiently.

When the seedling grows into quite large plants, you can transfer the plants to your garden. Remember that a growing date palm requires plenty of sunlight, soil that can be well-drained, and the correct temperature of 95 degrees F (35 degrees C). While this plant can survive in higher temperatures, this temperature is optimal for pollination.

For the production of date fruit, you must have separate male and female trees bearing male flowers and female flowers, respectively. While a date palm can live up to 100 years, mature date palms bear fruit once they cross their fourth or fifth year.

Various Uses Of Date Palm Trees

The uses of date palms are truly never-ending. It is really not surprising that these flowering plant species are so popular throughout the world.

The most common and well-known use of date palms is the fruits it produces. Fresh dates are quite popular in every culture.

Soft dates and dried dates are not only eaten but also gifted during auspicious occasions. Some of the most famous edible date varieties are Deglet Nour and Medjool. Some other edible derivations of date palm fruits are date syrup, a special kind of vinegar produced in the Middle East, and the famous date nut bread, common in the U.S.

The tree trunk of the normal date palm is a source of timber. Apart from the trunk, even the date palm leaves are used as a building material, as the leaf midrib is well-known for making furniture.

The fruit stalks of the date palm are used to make fuel and rope.

Research has also shown that dates promote good health. So, in ancient times, it was often used as a sort of medicine or remedy against some common diseases.