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74-529: Touggourt is notable for its date trees. It was formerly surrounded by a moat , which the French filled up. Bradt Travel Guides describe it as "largely a modern town of block architecture" and "largely unattractive. The centre is quiet most of the day due to the heat but is more active at night when people take to the streets." [REDACTED] Sultanate of Tunis pre 1414   Sultanate of Tuggurt 1414–1552   Sultanate of Tuggurt , ( tributary of

148-639: A 100-gram ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  oz) reference amount, dates supply 1,180 kilojoules (280 kilocalories) of food energy , and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value , DV) of potassium (22% DV) and a moderate source of pantothenic acid , vitamin B6 , and the dietary minerals , magnesium and manganese (10-19% DV), with other micronutrients in low amounts. The primary carbohydrates are monosaccharides , comprising glucose (23-30%), fructose (19-28%), and non-starch polysaccharides (7-10%) of

222-507: A clump with several stems from a single root system. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100   years of age when maintained properly. Date fruits (dates) are oval-cylindrical, 3 to 7 centimetres (1 to 3 inches) long, and about 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, with colour ranging from dark brown to bright red or yellow, depending on variety. Containing 61–68   percent sugar by mass when dried, dates are very sweet and are enjoyed as desserts on their own or within confections . There

296-517: A sukkah . In the Quran, Allah instructs Maryām (the Virgin Mary) to eat dates during labour pains when she gives birth to Isa (Jesus). In Islamic culture, dates and yogurt or milk are traditionally the first foods consumed for Iftar after the sun has set during Ramadan . In Mandaeism , the date palm ( Mandaic : sindirka , which can refer to both the tree and its fruit ) symbolizes

370-510: A date branch, which is traditionally included with numerous brands of prepackaged trays of dates, though this practice has declined in response to increased use of resealable packaging and calls for fewer single-use plastics . Date seeds are soaked and ground up for animal feed . Their oil is suitable for use in cosmetics and dermatological applications. The oil contains lauric acid (36%) and oleic acid (41%). Date palm seeds contain 0.56–5.4% lauric acid. They can also be processed chemically as

444-585: A direct descendant folm once existed in Old English. Whether as shrubs, tree-like, or vines, palms have two methods of growth: solitary or clustered. The common representation is that of a solitary shoot ending in a crown of leaves. This monopodial character may be exhibited by prostrate, trunkless, and trunk-forming members. Some common palms restricted to solitary growth include Washingtonia and Roystonea . Palms may instead grow in sparse though dense clusters. The trunk develops an axillary bud at

518-463: A large amount of the human diet and several other human uses, both by absolute amount produced and by number of species domesticated . This is far higher than almost any other plant family, sixth out of domesticated crops in the human diet, and first in total economic value produced – sharing the top spot with the Poaceae and Fabaceae . These human uses have also spread many Arecaceae species around

592-517: A leaf node, usually near the base, from which a new shoot emerges. The new shoot, in turn, produces an axillary bud and a clustering habit results. Exclusively sympodial genera include many of the rattans , Guihaia , and Rhapis . Several palm genera have both solitary and clustering members. Palms which are usually solitary may grow in clusters and vice versa. Palms have large, evergreen leaves that are either palmately ('fan-leaved') or pinnately ('feather-leaved') compound and spirally arranged at

666-529: A particular region, and only a few dozen have attained broader commercial importance. The most renowned cultivars worldwide include Deglet Noor , originally of Algeria; Yahidi and Hallawi of Iraq; Medjool of Morocco; Mazafati of Iran. In 2022, world production of dates was 9.7 million tonnes , led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria accounting for 46% of the total (table). Date palm fruits contain 21% water, 75% carbohydrates (63% sugars and 8% dietary fiber ), 2% protein , and less than 1% fat (table). In

740-661: A snack food. Dates can also be chopped and used in a range of sweet and savory dishes, from tajines (tagines) in Morocco to puddings , ka'ak (types of Arab cookies) and other dessert items. Date nut bread, a type of cake, is very popular in the United States, especially around holidays. Dates are also processed into cubes, paste called 'ajwa , spread, date syrup or "honey" called "dibs" or rub in Libya, powder (date sugar), vinegar or alcohol . Vinegar made from dates

814-425: A source of cellulose pulp, used for walking sticks, brooms, fishing floats, and fuel. Leaf sheaths are prized for their scent, and fibre from them is also used for rope, coarse cloth, and large hats. Young date leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, as is the terminal bud or heart, though its removal kills the palm. The finely ground seeds are mixed with flour to make bread in times of scarcity. The flowers of

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888-553: A source of oxalic acid . Date seeds are also ground and used in the manner of coffee beans, or as an additive to coffee. Experimental studies have shown that feeding mice with the aqueous extract of date pits exhibit anti-genotoxic effects and reduce DNA damage induced by N-nitroso-N-methylurea . Stripped fruit clusters are used as brooms. Recently, the floral stalks have been found to be of ornamental value in households. Apart from P. dactylifera , wild date palms such as Phoenix sylvestris and Phoenix reclinata , depending on

962-627: A tree-like form are colloquially called palm trees . Currently, 181 genera with around 2,600 species are known, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds , arranged at the top of an unbranched stem, except for the Hyphaene genus, who has branched palms. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts . Palms are among

1036-637: A variety of different habitats. Their diversity is highest in wet, lowland forests. South America , the Caribbean , and areas of the South Pacific and southern Asia are regions of concentration. Colombia may have the highest number of palm species in one country. There are some palms that are also native to desert areas such as the Arabian Peninsula and parts of northwestern Mexico. Only about 130 palm species naturally grow entirely beyond

1110-609: A water source, and in desert oases such as the date palm . A few palms are adapted to extremely basic lime soils, while others are similarly adapted to extreme potassium deficiency and toxicity of heavy metals in serpentine soils . Palms are a monophyletic group of plants, meaning the group consists of a common ancestor and all its descendants. Extensive taxonomic research on palms began with botanist H.E. Moore , who organized palms into 15 major groups based mostly on general morphological characteristics. The following classification, proposed by N.W. Uhl and J. Dransfield in 1987,

1184-651: Is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae , cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates . The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa , the Middle East , the Horn of Africa , Australia , South Asia , and California . It is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. P. dactylifera is the type species of genus Phoenix , which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms . Date palms reach up to 30 metres (100 feet) in height, growing singly or forming

1258-508: Is a revision of Moore's classification that organizes palms into 6 subfamilies. A few general traits of each subfamily are listed below. The Phytelephantoideae is the sixth subfamily of Arecaceae in N.W. Uhl and J. Dransfield's 1987 classification. Members of this group have distinct monopodial flower clusters. Other distinct features include a gynoecium with five to 10 joined carpels, and flowers with more than three parts per whorl. Fruits are multiple-seeded and have multiple parts. From

1332-602: Is also a notable historical event. In 1854 the sultanate was abolished by French colonial authorities in Algeria. Touggourt , as it is now spelled, became one of the initial six (1902), then four (1905) autonomous administrative districts of the Territoires du Sud  [ fr ] (Southern Territories), which in 1957 were first joined, then reorganized into two regular French départements . Tuggert became part of Oasis (prefecture seat Ouargla ). Touggourt lies on

1406-626: Is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in Arabia from the 6th   millennium BCE. Dates are "emblematic of oasis agriculture and highly symbolic in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religions". Date palms reach up to 30 metres (100 feet) in height, growing singly or forming a clump with several stems from a single root system. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100 years of age when maintained properly. The roots have pneumatodes . The leaves are 4–6 m (13–20 ft) long, with spines on

1480-966: Is continually found throughout later civilizations in the Indus Valley, including the Harappan period from 2600 to 1900 BCE. One cultivar , the Judean date palm , is renowned for its long-lived orthodox seed , which successfully sprouted after accidental storage for 2,000 years. In total seven seeds about 2000 years old have sprouted and turned into trees named Methuselah, Hannah, Adam, Judith, Boaz, Jonah and Uriel. The upper survival time limit of properly stored seeds remains unknown. A genomic study from New York University Abu Dhabi Center for Genomics and Systems Biology showed that domesticated date palm varieties from North Africa, including well-known varieties such as Medjool and Deglet Nour , share large parts of their genome with Middle East date palms and

1554-501: Is derived from the word areca with the suffix "-aceae". Areca is derived from Portuguese , via Malayalam അടയ്ക്ക ( aṭaykka ), which is from Dravidian *aṭ-ay-kkāy ("areca nut"). The suffix -aceae is the feminine plural of the Latin -āceus ("resembling"). Palm originates from Latin palma semantically overlapping with sense of " hand front " (due to similar splayed shape) ultimately from Proto-Indo-European * pl̥h₂meh₂ ,

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1628-496: Is often called "anomalous secondary growth". The Arecaceae are notable among monocots for their height and for the size of their seeds, leaves, and inflorescences. Ceroxylon quindiuense , Colombia's national "tree", is the tallest monocot in the world, reaching up to 60 metres (197 ft) tall. The coco de mer ( Lodoicea maldivica ) has the largest seeds of any plant, 40–50 centimetres (16–20 in) in diameter and weighing 15–30 kilograms (33–66 lb) each ( coconuts are

1702-683: Is possible north of subtropical climates, and some higher latitude locales such as Ireland, Scotland, England, and the Pacific Northwest feature a few palms in protected locations and microclimates . In the United States , there are at least 12 native palm species, mostly occurring in the states of the Deep South and Florida . Palms inhabit a variety of ecosystems. More than two-thirds of palm species live in humid moist forests, where some species grow tall enough to form part of

1776-625: Is used while cooking chicken and also for sweets and desserts, and as a honey substitute. Dates are one of the ingredients of jallab , a Middle Eastern fruit syrup. In Pakistan, a viscous, thick syrup made from the ripe fruits is used as a coating for leather bags and pipes to prevent leaking. In the past, sticky dates were served using specialized small forks having two metal tines, called daddelgaffel in Scandinavia. Some designs were patented. These have generally been replaced by an inexpensive pale-colored knobbled plastic fork that resembles

1850-566: The Dasypogonaceae . For a phylogenetic tree of the family, see the list of Arecaceae genera . The Arecaceae were the first modern family of monocots to appear in the fossil record around 80 million years ago (Mya), during the late Cretaceous period. The first modern species, such as Nypa fruticans and Acrocomia aculeata , appeared 69 Mya, as evidenced by fossil Nypa pollen. Palms appear to have undergone an early period of adaptive radiation . By 60 Mya, many of

1924-555: The Ottoman Empire ) 1552–1830   Sultanate of Tuggurt 1830–1844 [REDACTED] France , ( French Algeria ) 1844–1871 [REDACTED] Mokrani Revolt 1871–1872 [REDACTED] France , ( French Algeria ) 1871-1962 [REDACTED]   Algeria 1962–present In 1414 the Sultanate of Tuggert was founded in southern Algeria. The known Sultans (and one female ruler) were: The Tuggurt Expedition (1552)

1998-579: The canopy and shorter ones form part of the understory . Some species form pure stands in areas with poor drainage or regular flooding, including Raphia hookeri which is common in coastal freshwater swamps in West Africa. Other palms live in tropical mountain habitats above 1 thousand metres (3 thousand feet), such as those in the genus Ceroxylon native to the Andes . Palms may also live in grasslands and scrublands, usually associated with

2072-609: The cosmic tree and is often associated with the cosmic wellspring ( Mandaic : aina ). The date palm, associated with masculinity, and wellspring, associated with femininity, are often mentioned together as heavenly symbols in Mandaean texts . Arecaceae The Arecaceae ( / ˌ ær ə ˈ k eɪ s i . iː , - ˌ aɪ / ) is a family of perennial , flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales . Their growth form can be climbers , shrubs , tree -like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms . Those having

2146-900: The petiole , and pinnate , with about 150 leaflets. The leaflets are 30 centimetres (12 inches) long and 2 cm (1 in) wide. The full span of the crown ranges from 6–10 m (20–33 ft). The date palm is dioecious , having separate male and female plants. They can be easily grown from seed, but only 50% of seedlings will be female and hence fruit-bearing, and dates from seedling plants are often smaller and of poorer quality. Most commercial plantations thus use cuttings of heavily cropping cultivars. Plants grown from cuttings will fruit 2–3 years earlier than seedling plants. Dates are naturally wind- pollinated , but in traditional oasis horticulture and modern commercial orchards, they are entirely hand-pollinated . Natural pollination occurs with about an equal number of male and female plants. With assistance, one male can pollinate up to 100 females. Since

2220-664: The "honey" reference in Exodus chapter 3 to "a land flowing with milk and honey" is actually a reference to date "honey", and not honey from bees. In the Torah , palm trees are referenced as symbols of prosperity and triumph. Psalm 92:12 states that "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." Palm branches occurred as iconography in sculpture ornamenting the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, on Jewish coins, and in

2294-616: The 16th century. Dates are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible and 20 times in the Quran . Date palms holds great significance in Abrahamic religions . The tree was heavily cultivated as a food source in ancient Israel where Judaism and subsequently Christianity developed. Date palm leaves are used for Palm Sunday in the Christian religion. Many Jewish scholars believe that

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2368-647: The Ceroxyloideae and Phytelephantoideae. Studies have suggested the lack of a fully resolved hypothesis for the relationships within the family is due to a variety of factors, including difficulties in selecting appropriate outgroups, homoplasy in morphological character states, slow rates of molecular evolution important for the use of standard DNA markers , and character polarization. However, hybridization has been observed among Orbignya and Phoenix species, and using chloroplast DNA in cladistic studies may produce inaccurate results due to maternal inheritance of

2442-598: The Cretan wild palms, P. theophrasti , as well as Indian wild palms, Phoenix sylvestris . An article on date palm tree cultivation is contained in Ibn al-'Awwam 's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture . A large number of date cultivars and varieties emerged through history of its cultivation, but the exact number is difficult to assess. Hussain and El-Zeid (1975) have reported 400 varieties, while Nixon (1954) named around 250. Most of those are limited to

2516-574: The IUCN, and was published in 1996. The rarest palm known is Hyophorbe amaricaulis . The only living individual remains at the Botanic Gardens of Curepipe in Mauritius . Some pests are specialists to particular taxa . Pests that attack a variety of species of palms include: The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in classical antiquity . The Romans rewarded champions of

2590-570: The Middle East and the Indus Valley for thousands of years, and there is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in Mehrgarh , a Neolithic civilization in western Pakistan, around 7000 BCE and in eastern Arabia between 5530 and 5320 calBC . Dates have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt . The ancient Egyptians used the fruits to make date wine and ate dates at harvest. Evidence of cultivation

2664-580: The Rathayatra carts which carry the deities of Krishna and his family members in the cart festival of Jagganath Puri in India are marked with the emblem of a palm tree. Specifically it is the symbol of Krishna's brother, Baladeva. In 1840, the American geologist Edward Hitchcock (1793–1864) published the first tree-like paleontology chart in his Elementary Geology , with two separate trees of life for

2738-657: The United States where they were tended by members of the Chemehuevi tribe in a remote region of Nevada. Nine of these survived and in 1935, cultivars were transferred to the U.S. Date Garden in Indio, California . Eventually this stock was reintroduced to Africa and led to the U.S. production of dates in Yuma, Arizona and Bard, California . Dates are a traditional crop throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Dates (especially Medjool and Deglet Nour ) are also cultivated in

2812-530: The area. The sale of seeds to nurseries and collectors is another threat, as the seeds of popular palms are sometimes harvested directly from the wild. In 2006, at least 100 palm species were considered endangered, and nine species have been reported as recently extinct. However, several factors make palm conservation more difficult. Palms live in almost every type of warm habitat and have tremendous morphological diversity. Most palm seeds lose viability quickly, and they cannot be preserved in low temperatures because

2886-407: The base. The stamens generally number six, with filaments that may be separate, attached to each other, or attached to the pistil at the base. The fruit is usually a single- seeded drupe (sometimes berry-like) but some genera (e.g., Salacca ) may contain two or more seeds in each fruit. Like all monocots , palms do not have the ability to increase the width of a stem ( secondary growth ) via

2960-478: The best known and most extensively cultivated plant families. They have been important to humans throughout much of history, especially in regions like the Middle East and North Africa. A wide range of common products and foods are derived from palms. In contemporary times, palms are also widely used in landscaping. In many historical cultures, because of their importance as food, palms were symbols for such ideas as victory, peace, and fertility. The word Arecaceae

3034-414: The bunches of dates must be thinned and bagged or covered before ripening so that the remaining fruits grow larger and are protected from weather and animals, such as birds, that also like to eat them. Date palms require well-drained deep sandy loam soils with a pH of 8–11 (alkaline). The soil should have the ability to hold moisture and also be free of calcium carbonate . Dates have been cultivated in

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3108-471: The chloroplast DNA. Chemical and molecular data from non-organelle DNA, for example, could be more effective for studying palm phylogeny. Recently, nuclear genomes and transcriptomes have been used to reconstruct the phylogeny of palms. This has revealed, for example, that a whole-genome duplication event occurred early in the evolution of the Arecaceae lineage, that was not experienced by its sister clade,

3182-503: The cold kills the embryo. Using botanical gardens for conservation also presents problems, since they can rarely house more than a few plants of any species or truly imitate the natural setting. There is also the risk that cross-pollination can lead to hybrid species. The Palm Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) began in 1984, and has performed a series of three studies to find basic information on

3256-404: The date palm are also edible. Traditionally the female flowers are the most available for sale and weigh 300–400 grams ( 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 –14 oz). The flower buds are used in salad or ground with dried fish to make a condiment for bread. In Ancient Rome , the palm fronds used in triumphal processions to symbolize victory were most likely those of P. dactylifera . The date palm

3330-500: The date palm genome in 2015. The species name dactylifera 'date-bearing' is Latin , and is formed with the loanword dactylus in Latin from Greek daktylos ( δάκτυλος ), which means 'date' (also 'finger'), and with the native Latin fero , which means 'to bear'. The fruit is known as a date. The fruit's English name (through Old French , through Latin ) comes from the Greek word for 'finger', δάκτυλος , because of

3404-627: The deserts, it also created a more amenable habitat for the people to live in by providing shade and protection from the desert winds. An indication of the importance of palms in ancient times is that they are mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible , and at least 22 times in the Quran . The Torah also references the "70 date palm trees", which symbolize the 70 aspects of Torah that are revealed to those who "eat of its fruit." Arecaceae have great economic importance, including coconut products, oils, dates, palm syrup , ivory nuts, carnauba wax, rattan cane, raffia, and palm wood . This family supplies

3478-528: The fruit's elongated shape. The place of origin of the date palm is uncertain because of long cultivation. According to some sources it probably originated from the Fertile Crescent region straddling Egypt and Mesopotamia while others state that they are native to the Persian Gulf area. Fossil records show that the date palm has existed for at least 50 million years. A major palm pest,

3552-825: The fruit's total weight. The sucrose content is negligible. The glycemic index (GI) for different varieties of the date palm fruit is in the range of 38-71, with 53 on average, indicating dates are a relatively low GI food source. The glycemic load (GL) value of date palm fruits, calculated for a serving size of three fruits (weighting 27 grams) is 9 on average, indicating that dates have low GL. Like many other fruits, dates contain measurable levels of calcium oxalates . Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings such as almonds , walnuts , pecans, candied orange and lemon peel , tahini , marzipan or cream cheese . Pitted dates are also referred to as stoned dates . Partially dried pitted dates may be glazed with glucose syrup for use as

3626-673: The games and celebrated military successes with palm branches. Early Christians used the palm branch to symbolize the victory of the faithful over enemies of the soul, as in the Palm Sunday festival celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem . In Judaism , the palm represents peace and plenty, and is one of the Four Species of Sukkot ; the palm may also symbolize the Tree of Life in Kabbalah . The canopies of

3700-500: The habitat, and those with small habitat ranges are most vulnerable to them. The harvesting of heart of palm, a delicacy in salads, also poses a threat because it is derived from the palm's apical meristem , a vital part of the palm that cannot be regrown (except in domesticated varieties, e.g. of peach palm ). The use of rattan palms in furniture has caused a major population decrease in these species that has negatively affected local and international markets, as well as biodiversity in

3774-432: The history of the Middle East and North Africa. In the text "Date Palm Products" (1993), W.H. Barreveld wrote: One could go as far as to say that, had the date palm not existed, the expansion of the human race into the hot and barren parts of the "old" world would have been much more restricted. The date palm not only provided a concentrated energy food, which could be easily stored and carried along on long journeys across

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3848-665: The hottest month. Average annual rainfall is around 55 mm (2,16 in) and summers are especially dry. On 30 July 2023, a maximum temperature of 50.3 °C (122.5 °F) was registered in Touggourt. Touggourt lies at the junction of the N3 and N16 roads, 161 kilometres (100 mi) northeast of the provincial capital of Ouargla . It is connected by railway to Biskra and is served by the Sidi Madhi Airport . The N3 highway connects to Megarine , Sidi Slimane , and Biskra to

3922-524: The main basis of a variety of traditional dessert recipes including sticky toffee pudding , Christmas pudding and date and walnut loaf . They are particularly available to eat whole at Christmas time. Dates are one of the ingredients of HP Sauce , a popular British condiment. In Southeast Spain (where a large date plantation exists including UNESCO -protected Palmeral of Elche ) dates (usually pitted with fried almond) are served wrapped in bacon and shallow-fried. In Palestine date syrup, termed silan ,

3996-420: The males are of value only as pollinators, they are usually pruned in favor of fruit-producing female plants. Some growers do not maintain male plants, as male flowers become available at local markets at pollination time. Manual pollination is done by skilled labourers on ladders, or by use of a wind machine. In some areas, such as Iraq, the pollinator climbs the tree using a special climbing tool that wraps around

4070-694: The modern phylogenomic data, the Phytelephantoideae are tribe in the Ceroxyloideae subfamily. Currently, few extensive phylogenetic studies of the Arecaceae exist. In 1997, Baker et al. explored subfamily and tribe relationships using chloroplast DNA from 60 genera from all subfamilies and tribes. The results strongly showed the Calamoideae are monophyletic, and Ceroxyloideae and Coryphoideae are paraphyletic. The relationships of Arecoideae are uncertain, but they are possibly related to

4144-660: The modern, specialized genera of palms appeared and became widespread and common, much more widespread than their range today. Because palms separated from the monocots earlier than other families, they developed more intrafamilial specialization and diversity. By tracing back these diverse characteristics of palms to the basic structures of monocots, palms may be valuable in studying monocot evolution. Several species of palms have been identified from flowers preserved in amber, including Palaeoraphe dominicana and Roystonea palaea . Fossil evidence of them can also be found in samples of petrified palmwood . The relationship between

4218-479: The north and Hassi Messaoud and Illizi to the south. The N16 connects to Taibet and El Oued to the east. Another road, the Route Messaad Tougourt , connects to Messaâd and Djelfa to the northwest. Local roads connect to nearby towns Megarine and Tamacine . The commune is composed of nine localities: Date (fruit) Phoenix dactylifera , commonly known as the date palm ,

4292-566: The oases, the land is arid and barren, with extensive sand dunes both to the west and east of the city. Touggourt has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ), with long, extremely hot summers and short, warm winters. Average high temperatures are consistently over 40 °C (104 °F) during June, July, August and September and reach a maximum of nearly 45 °C (113 °F) in July. Average low temperatures in summer are also very high, above 26 °C (82.4 °F) and routinely above 29 °C (86 °F) in

4366-503: The red palm beetle ( Rhynchophorus ferrugineus ), currently poses a significant threat to date production in parts of the Middle East as well as to iconic landscape specimens throughout the Mediterranean world. Another significant insect pest is Ommatissus lybicus , sometimes called the "dubas bug", whose sap sucking results in sooty mould formation. In the 1920s, eleven healthy Medjool palms were transferred from Morocco to

4440-536: The region, can be also tapped for sap. The consumption of raw date palm sap is one of the means by which the deadly Nipah virus spreads from bats to humans. The virus can be inactivated by boiling the sap down to molasses . (In Malaysia , by contrast, the vector was found to be factory farming of pigs .) In North Africa, date palm leaves are commonly used for making huts. Mature leaves are also made into mats, screens, baskets, and fans. Processed leaves can be used for insulating board . Dried leaf petioles are

4514-399: The same kind of vascular cambium found in non-monocot woody plants . This explains the cylindrical shape of the trunk (almost constant diameter) that is often seen in palms, unlike in ring -forming trees. However, many palms, like some other monocots, do have secondary growth, although because it does not arise from a single vascular cambium producing xylem inwards and phloem outwards, it

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4588-635: The sculpture of synagogues. They are also used as ornamentation in the Feast of the Tabernacles . Date palms are one of the seven species of native Israeli plants revered in Judaism. The date palm has historically been considered a symbol of Judea and the Jewish people. The leaves are used as a lulav in the Jewish holiday of Sukkot . They are also commonly used as the s'chach in the construction of

4662-486: The second largest). Raffia palms ( Raphia spp.) have the largest leaves of any plant, up to 25 metres (82 ft) long and 3 metres (10 ft) wide. The Corypha species have the largest inflorescence of any plant, up to 7.5 metres (25 ft) tall and containing millions of small flowers. Calamus stems can reach 200 metres (656 ft) in length. Most palms are native to tropical and subtropical climates. Palms thrive in moist and hot climates but can be found in

4736-552: The southwestern United States, and in Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. Date palms can take 4 to 8 years after planting before they will bear fruit, and start producing viable yields for commercial harvest between 7 and 10 years. Mature date palms can produce 70–140 kilograms (150–300 pounds) of dates per harvest season. They do not all ripen at the same time so several harvests are required. To obtain fruit of marketable quality,

4810-485: The status of palms in the wild, use of wild palms, and palms under cultivation. Two projects on palm conservation and use supported by the World Wildlife Fund took place from 1985 to 1990 and 1986–1991, in the American tropics and southeast Asia, respectively. Both studies produced copious new data and publications on palms. Preparation of a global action plan for palm conservation began in 1991, supported by

4884-482: The subfamilies is shown in the following cladogram: Calamoideae Nypoideae Coryphoideae Ceroxyloideae Arecoideae Evidence for cultivation of the date palm by Mesopotamians and other Middle Eastern peoples exists from more than 5,000 years ago, in the form of date wood, pits for storing dates, and other remains of the date palm in Mesopotamian sites. The date palm had a significant effect on

4958-422: The top of the stem. The leaves have a tubular sheath at the base that usually splits open on one side at maturity. The inflorescence is a spadix or spike surrounded by one or more bracts or spathes that become woody at maturity. The flowers are generally small and white, radially symmetric, and can be either uni- or bisexual. The sepals and petals usually number three each and may be distinct or joined at

5032-735: The tree trunk and the climber's back (called تبلية in Arabic) to keep him attached to the trunk while climbing. Date fruits are oval-cylindrical, 3–7 cm (1–3 in) long, and 2–3 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  in) diameter, and when ripe, range from bright red to bright yellow in colour, depending on variety. Dates contain a single stone (seed) about 2–2.5 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4 –1 in) long and 6–8 mm ( 1 ⁄ 4 – 5 ⁄ 16  in) thick. Three main cultivar groups exist: soft (e.g., Medjool ); semi-dry (e.g., Deglet Noor ), and dry (e.g., Thoory ). A draft genome of P. dactylifera (Khalas variety)

5106-647: The tropics, mostly in humid lowland subtropical climates, in highlands in southern Asia, and along the rim lands of the Mediterranean Sea . The northernmost native palm is Chamaerops humilis , which reaches 44°N latitude along the coast of Liguria , Italy . In the southern hemisphere, the southernmost palm is the Rhopalostylis sapida , which reaches 44°S on the Chatham Islands where an oceanic climate prevails. Cultivation of palms

5180-492: The western side of an extensive system of oases which supports palm plantations and other agriculture in an area 50 kilometres (31 mi) from north to south. Other towns around the oases are Sidi Slimane and Megarine to north, and Tamacine and Balidat Ameur to the south. The system is also associated with more oases further north in El Oued Province including the towns of Djamaa and El M'Ghair . Beyond

5254-426: The world. Along with dates mentioned above, members of the palm family with human uses are numerous: Like many other plants, palms have been threatened by human intervention and exploitation . The greatest risk to palms is destruction of habitat , especially in the tropical forests , due to urbanization , wood-chipping , mining , and conversion to farmland . Palms rarely reproduce after such great changes in

5328-785: Was a popular garden plant in Roman peristyle gardens, though it would not bear fruit in the more temperate climate of Italy. It is recognizable in frescoes from Pompeii and elsewhere in Italy, including a garden scene from the House of the Wedding of Alexander. In later times, traders spread dates around southwest Asia, northern Africa, and Spain. Dates were introduced into California by the Spaniards by 1769, existing by then around Mission San Diego de Alcalá , and were introduced to Mexico as early as

5402-479: Was a traditional product of the Middle East . Recent innovations include chocolate -covered dates and products such as sparkling date juice, used in some Islamic countries as a non-alcoholic version of champagne , for special occasions and religious times such as Ramadan . When Muslims break fast in the evening meal of Ramadan , it is traditional to eat a date first. Reflecting the maritime trading heritage of Britain , imported chopped dates are added to, or form

5476-417: Was published in 2011 followed by more complete genome assemblies in 2013 and 2019. The later study used long-read sequencing technology. With the release of this improved genome assembly, the researchers were able to map genes for fruit color and sugar content. The NYU Abu Dhabi researchers had also re-sequenced the genomes of several date varieties to develop the first single nucleotide polymorphism map of

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