Date palm has reclining and slender brown trunks and dense crowns of stiff but feathery leaf fronds. Bases of old fronds are medium brown which remains on trunk that forms a showy trunk. The specimen of Senegal date palm reaches 35 feet high having 12 to 20 foot spread and creates a striking tree casting a light shade. It thrives in full sun environments and is a good choice for seaside planting. Senegal Date Palm is a fast grower having proper fertilizer and needs low to moderate water when established.
Phoenix reclinata is a dense, clumping and dioecious palm having erect or oblique stems usually 8-10 meters high having trunk diameter 15-25 cm. The bark is smooth and black ringed by distinct leaf scars and has a dense mass of roots that arises from the lower part. The crown has 15 to 30 dark green to yellow-green pinnate leaves. Leaf-sheath is fibrous and reddish-brown. Leaves are arcuate, pinnate about 2.5-4.5 meters long and leaflets are sessile and regularly arranged distally in one plane of orientation. Leaflets are dark green, glossy, long, and narrow having minutely crenulate margins. Inflorescences are branched and axillary. Staminate flowers are creamy-white. Fruit is ovoid-ellipsoid or obovoid and green that ripens yellow to bright orange about 13–20 × 7–13 mm. Seed is obovoid and 12–14 by 5–6 mm.
Leaves
Leaves are pinnate, induplicate measuring 5 meters long having arching rachis that ends in a single leaflet. Leaflets are glossy, narrow, and dark green arranged in multiple planes but in a single plane near the tip.
Flowers and fruit
The inflorescence is orange colored upto 1 meter long and is branched to one order. Staminate is cream colored and pistillate flowers form on different plants. Fruits are ovoid, reddish-brown to scarlet, and about 1-2.5 cm long.
Nutritional value of Dates, medjool
Calories 66 Kcal. Calories from Fat 0.36 Kcal.
| Proximity | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 5.12 g | N/D |
| Energy | 66 Kcal | N/D |
| Energy | 278 kJ | N/D |
| Protein | 0.43 g | 0.86% |
| Total Fat (lipid) | 0.04 g | 0.11% |
| Ash | 0.42 g | N/D |
| Carbohydrate | 17.99 g | 13.84% |
| Total dietary Fiber | 1.6 g | 4.21% |
| Total Sugars | 15.95 g | N/D |
| Sucrose | 0.13 g | N/D |
| Glucose (dextrose) | 8.08 g | N/D |
| Fructose | 7.67 g | N/D |
| Maltose | 0.07 g | N/D |
| Minerals | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium, Ca | 15 mg | 1.50% |
| Iron, Fe | 0.22 mg | 2.75% |
| Magnesium, Mg | 13 mg | 3.10% |
| Phosphorus, P | 15 mg | 2.14% |
| Potassium, K | 167 mg | 3.55% |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.11 mg | 1.00% |
| Copper, Cu | 0.087 mg | 9.67% |
| Manganese, Mn | 0.071 mg | 3.09% |
| Vitamins | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Water-soluble Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | 0.012 mg | 1.00% |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.014 mg | 1.08% |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.386 mg | 2.41% |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.193 mg | 3.86% |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.06 mg | 4.62% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 4 µg | 1.00% |
| Folate, food | 4 µg | N/D |
| Folate, DEF | 4 µg | N/D |
| Choline | 2.4 mg | 0.44% |
| Fat-soluble Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A, RAE | 2 µg | 0.29% |
| Vitamin A, IU | 36 IU | N/D |
| Beta Carotene | 21 µg | N/D |
| Betaine | 0.1 mg | N/D |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 6 µg | N/D |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 0.6 µg | 0.50% |
| Amino acids | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Tryptophan | 0.002 g | 0.45% |
| Threonine | 0.01 g | 0.57% |
| Isoleucine | 0.011 g | 0.66% |
| Leucine | 0.02 g | 0.54% |
| Lysine | 0.013 g | 0.39% |
| Methionine | 0.004 g | N/D |
| Cystine | 0.011 g | N/D |
| Phenylalanine | 0.012 g | N/D |
| Tyrosine | 0.004 g | N/D |
| Valine | 0.016 g | 0.76% |
| Arginine | 0.014 g | N/D |
| Histidine | 0.007 g | 0.57% |
| Alanine | 0.019 g | N/D |
| Aspartic acid | 0.053 g | N/D |
| Glutamic acid | 0.064 g | N/D |
| Glycine | 0.022 g | N/D |
| Proline | 0.027 g | N/D |
| Serine | 0.015 g | N/D |
*Above mentioned Percent Daily Values (%DVs) are based on 2,000 calorie diet intake. Daily values (DVs) may be different depending upon your daily calorie needs. Mentioned values are recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are not rxharun.com recommendations. Calculations are based on average age of 19 to 50 years and weigh 194 lbs. Source: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/
Culinary uses
- Roasted seeds are used as a substitute for coffee.
- Palm wine is relished by people in Natal, Maputaland, and South Africa.
- Flower buds are consumed raw or cooked as vegetables.
- Palm cabbage is consumed as a vegetable.
- Dried seeds are grounded into flour.
Other facts
- Use the fibers of young and unexpanded leaves for making rope, mats, string, and baskets.
- Fibers from the crushed stem are used to manufacture brooms and scrubbing brushes.
- Use the mature leaves to make baskets or roofing material.
- Also, the stems can be used for the construction of livestock enclosures, walls, bridges, houses, and fencing.
- The dye can be extracted from leaves.
- Tannins and gums are extracted from roots.
- Young leaves are bright green and older leaves are deep green.
- It propagates by seeds or division of suckers.
- It is a perennial plant with having a lifespan of more than 2 years.
R
References
