Beside the European dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis), this is the only palm native to mainland Europe, whose homeland is mainly Crete and several other islands, but its smaller populations can be found on the Peloponnese, Greece, and in the southwestern part of Turkey. The former much more widespread palm has a small group of 10 trees as the last natural occurrence near Epidaurus in Greece! On the other hand, this is the only indigenous palm tree in Turkey! All the other palm species there have been introduced by man!
Phoenix theophrasti is very similar to Phoenix dactylifera, but smaller in stature and stockier, the plumes of leaves are much denser and showier than those of P. dactylifera!
Besides the date palm, this is another species in genus Phoenix the fruits of which are edible, but the fruit of P. theophrasti is much more fibrous, has thinner flesh and weaker flavour than that of P. dactylifera, so the people living in the area are the only consumers.
It is the most frost tolerant member of the genus, can bear about -10 °C of cold as well! It is a palm tree with good tolerance, highly decorative and perfect as a container plant!
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Drought tolerant |  |
Shadow |
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Average water demand |  |
Half-shade |
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High water demand |  |
Sunny |
ZONE: The USDA Hardiness Zone of the plant. See the chart of USDA Hardiness Zones HERE!
SIZE: The size of the plant in centimeter.
QUALITY: For example: K1: we grow the plant in 1 liter container, CSP8x8: we grow the plant in 8x8 cm pot, SZGY: we ship the plant with bare root (carefully packed), FL: we ship the plant with root ball.
