Dwarf date palm, Hill date palm
Phoenix loureiroi var. pedunculata

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A dwarf palm tree. It has several trunks 10-20 cm tall. In sandy soils is is almost without a trunk but in rocky soils the trunk can be 2 m tall. It is a slender palm. The trunk has distinct square markings on it. This is produced from where the leaves have fallen. These leaf bases are arranged in a loose spiral. The leaves arch over. They are short and 1-2 m long. The leaflets are 50 cm long and narrow. They are grey-green. They are arranged in groups of up to 4 along the stalk. The fruit occur in long clusters. The fruit are 1.5-2 cm long and ripen from orange to black. They are sweet and edible. The variety pedunculata comes from 2000 m altitude and has very long fruit stalks.

There are 17 Phoenix species.

Where it is found

A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in grassy savannah. It can grow in low coastal plains and mountains. It grows between 300-1800 m altitude in Uttar Pradesh in India. It grows in isolated hill districts in India.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sri Lanka

How it is used for food

The bud is eaten as a palm cabbage. The ripe fruit can be eaten fresh. The pith from the young stem is eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, bud, cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Eenda, Imae prei, Khajur

Synonyms

Phoenix humilis var. pedunculata (Griff.) Becc.; Phoenix humilis var. robusta Becc.; Phoenix loureiroi var. humilis S. Barrow; Phoenix ouseleyana Griff.; Phoenix pedunculata Griff.; Phoenix robusta (Becc.) Hook.f.;