Phoenix roebelenii
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- FEE-niks roh-bel-EN-ee-eye
- Description
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Pygmy date palm is a tropical, evergreen perennial in the palm family (Arecaceae). It grows along fast-moving rivers in southern China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Phoenix is the genus of the date palms. The meaning of the generic name is much-debated but likely honors Phoenicia, an ancient civilization from the eastern Mediterranean, where date palms were widely cultivated. The species epithet honors Carl Roebelen, a plant collector in the employ of the orchid nursery Sanders of St. Alben, England, who brought the palm to the attention of botanists.
Plant in moist, well-drained potting mix and give it protection from the hot afternoon sun since this plant prefers medium to high light. Keep the growing medium slightly moist during the growing season but do not overwater as doing so can cause root rot. This plant prefers to be slightly root-bound and does not need frequent repotting. It also prefers medium to high humidity. Keep away from cold drafts in the winter.
In nature, this palm is clustering and forms suckers at its base. Curiously, most cultivated individuals do not sucker, but growers frequently put three or five plants in one pot to make a fuller specimen. As they grow, trunks will gracefully arch away from one another. Outdoors it grows to 6.5 feet high and 5 feet wide. As an indoor plant, it typically reaches only 5 to 6 feet tall. It has soft, fine-textured foliage, but like all date palms, the lower leaflets are modified into very sharp spines. Use caution when handling the leaves. The fruits are purple drupes that are produced on female plants and are edible.
This palm is a popular landscape palm in warm climates. Elsewhere the palm can be grown as houseplant. It can spend the summers outside in a shady patio as long as it is brought inside when cold weather approaches.
Quick ID Hints:
- Pinnately compound leaves with basal leaflets modified to sharp spines.
- Leaflets are folded lengthwise into an upright V-shape.
- Leaflets are long and softly drooping at tips.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to scales and leaf spot.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Phoenix
- Species:
- roebelenii
- Family:
- Arecaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Indo-China
- Distribution:
- Cultivated worldwide.
- Edibility:
- Drupes are edible.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 5 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Houseplant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
- Appendage:
- Spines
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- 1/2 inch ellipsoidal drupe resembles a thin-skinned date. It is red-brown to dark purple when mature. The fruit is produced on female plants only.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Description:
- Cream-colored male and female flowers are found on separate trees (dioecious) in the spring. Flowers are produced on 1-foot-long panicles that are among the leaves and branched once.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- The odd pinnately compound leaves are 24-45 inches long with around 100 leaflets. Pinnae is linear lanceolate, gray-green, drooping, and lowermost are reduced to spines. Each leaflet is 6-10 inches long and 1/2 inch wide and slightly droops from the stem. Spines are present at the leaf bases. They are gray-green in color with scales on the undersides.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Bark Description:
- Bark gray and rough and is covered with distinctive peg-like leaf-bases.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stems are clustered, slender at the base, and expanding toward the crown.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Houseplants
- Patio
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Small groups
- Small Tree
- Specimen
- Understory Tree
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Heat
- Humidity
