Cretan Date Palm

Cretan date palm on the palm beach of Vai

The Cretan Date Palm (Phoenix theophrasti ) is occurring at a few sites on Crete and on the southwest coast of Turkey palm. It is very similar to the genuine date palm.

Features

The Cretan date palm is a multi-stemmed palm tree. The stems are up to 17 m high, the trunk diameter without leaf sheaths reached to 50 cm. In the upper stem portion, the leaves are preserved, including the diamond- shaped leaf bases are obtained. The leaves are obliquely erect and 2-4 m long. The leaf sheaths are fibrous and reddish brown. The pseudo- stem is 50 to 70 cm long. The Akanthophylle ( converted thorns leaflets ) are irregular and in more than one plane. There are about 10 pieces, which are yellow to orange-green on each side of the rachis. The leaflets are irregular in one to two levels, at each rachis page about 65 to 100 you are stiff and about 50 cm long and 2 cm wide. The leaf blade is blue-green and often covered with a layer of white wax.

The species is dioecious date palm, like all getrenntgeschlechtig ( dioecious ). The male inflorescences are upright. The cover page is coriaceous, double split, about 45 x 8 inches tall. The peduncle is about 40 cm long. The lateral axis are long up to 10 cm. The male flowers are yellowish - white, with a strong musty smell. The chalice cup is 2 to 3 mm high. The three, rarely four petals are 8 x 3.5 mm in size. There are six, seldom seven stamens present. The female inflorescences are upright, crop maturity, they are arched. The cover sheet is 50 x 6 cm in size. The peduncle is extended to fruit ripening on to 70 cm. There are around 80 Axes page, which are used for fruit ripening longer and reach 50 cm. The female flowers are yellow - white. The three-lobed calyx cup is 2 to 2.5 mm high. The three, rarely four petals are 2 x 3 mm.

The fruit is oblong, about 15 x 10 mm in size and green - yellow to brown. The mesocarp is formed only to a small extent, it is mealy and sweet. The seeds have rounded ends, are 11-13 x 6-7 mm. The endosperm is homogeneous.

Dissemination

The Cretan date palm is known from nine sites on the island of Crete, including the beach of Vai. The species was also found at some sites on the mainland of Asia Minor: on the Datça Peninsula and the Kumluca Karaöz region in Southeast Anatolia in altitudes up to 350 m. A third location in Gölköy near Bodrum is rather associated with Phoenix dactylifera Barrow (1998). Reports of occurrence in some islands of the eastern Aegean ( Kalymnos, Nisyros, Symi ) to be seen by Barrow also critical.

The Cretan date palm grows in coastal areas on steep Kalkkliffen and rocks a few meters away from the sea. Other locations are a little further inland along moist valley bottoms, stream banks and rocky gullies. The presence of palm trees always shows a water resources. The species is tolerant of salt.

According to the IUCN Red List, the species is considered Near Threatened ( " near threatened "). They are of Crete eight, for Turkey to four populations.

System

The Cretan date palm was described only in 1967 by Werner Greuter as a separate species Phoenix theophrasti, the populations were previously found to Phoenix dactylifera. The two species are sister species.

The Cretan date palm was known since antiquity. Theophrastus and Pliny the Elder, they have described. Greuter has therefore named after the Greek naturalist.

Documents

• Sasha C. Barrow: A Monograph of Phoenix L. ( Palmae: Coryphoideae ). Kew Bulletin, Volume 53, 1998, pp. 513-575. ( JSTOR )