Date palm trees are iconic plants known for their lush, feathery fronds and sweet, edible fruits. From ornamental varieties to commercial fruit-producing species, date palms have played a vital role in agriculture, landscaping, and decoration for centuries.
This guide will walk you through 9 prominent types of date palm trees, complete with pictures, characteristics, and tips for identification.
Popular Types of Date Palm Trees
True Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera)
The True Date Palm is the most commonly cultivated species for commercial date production. It typically has a single trunk, though multi-stemmed specimens can occur due to the growth of suckers. The tree grows to a height of 30 – 40 ft, with a smaller crown compared to the Canary Island Date Palm.
Its feather-like leaves are gray-green or blue-green, with sharp spines near the base. Female flowers are green and hang in long clusters up to 4 ft, while male flowers are rounder and shorter at about 0.8 ft. The fruits are cylindrical, 1 – 2 inches long, yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, sweet, and edible.
True Date Palms are drought-tolerant, cold-hardy, and can thrive in desert climates but are susceptible to Fusarium infections, which can be fatal.
Barhi Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera ‘Barhi’)
The Barhi Date Palm, also known as the “Honey Date Palm,” is famous for its sweet, honey-like flavor. Its fruits can be eaten at different ripeness stages, tasting like fresh sugarcane (semi-ripe), coconut (ripe), and butterscotch (dried).
This palm is shorter than the True Date Palm, growing 15 – 30 ft tall. Its trunk features knobby, diamond-shaped scars from old leaves. The leaves are feather-like, deep green, and have sharp spines near the base.
The fruits are rounder, shorter, and more golden than other date varieties. It thrives in tropical, subtropical, desert, and Mediterranean climates and requires full sun and well-drained soil. This variety originated from the Barhi region in Iraq and is grown both for fruit production and as an ornamental tree.
Deglet Noor Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera ‘Deglet Noor’)
The Deglet Noor Date Palm is one of the most widely grown date palms in the US, valued for its semi-dry fruits and ornamental appeal. Originating from the Algerian Sahara in the 1600s, it is a medium to tall palm, growing up to 80 ft.
The trunk bears distinctive knobby, diamond-shaped leaf scars. Its crown is looser, with fewer fronds than other date palm varieties. The leaves are long (up to 15 ft), feather-like, and silvery-blue-green, with sharp spines at the base.
The fruits are semi-dry, making them ideal for cooking and slicing. They are smaller, darker, and less sweet than Medjool dates. Deglet Noor palms are drought-tolerant and require well-drained, neutral, sandy loam soil to thrive.
Medjool Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera ‘Medjool’)
The Medjool Date Palm is known for its dense canopy of abundant leaves, creating a lush, full appearance. It produces large, soft, and sweet dates, often regarded as the highest-quality commercial dates. This palm grows best in tropical and subtropical climates with low rainfall, where it can yield two to three crops annually.
Medjool dates are labor-intensive to grow and harvest, making them the most expensive date variety. In cooler climates, the palm is often grown as an ornamental tree. It has good tolerance for drought, salt, and pests. This date variety is a hybrid of the True Date Palm and the Cretan Date Palm.
The Medjool Date Palm reaches 50 – 60 ft in height with a 20 – 30 ft spread. It has a knobby trunk with diamond-shaped leaf scars. The canopy contains more fronds than most other date palms, with silvery-green to green leaves that grow 13 – 20 ft long. The dates are large, oblong, soft, fleshy, and medium to dark brown, making them one of the sweetest and most sought-after dates in the world.
Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)
The Canary Island Date Palm is the tallest of the Phoenix genus, growing up to 85 ft or more. It is widely used as an ornamental tree in landscaping due to its impressive size and majestic appearance. The trunk is thick, up to 3 ft wide, and marked with rough, narrow, diamond-shaped leaf scars, unlike the knobby scars of other date palms.
This palm has a large, dense crown with 75 – 125 pinnate leaves that can reach over 15 ft in length. Each leaf has 80 – 100 dark green to bluish-green leaflets, giving it a distinct appearance. The petiole has sharp spines that can grow up to 1 ft long.
It is a hardy palm, tolerating cold, heat, and drought. However, it is vulnerable to Fusarium Wilt, which spreads through wind, insects, birds, and contaminated pruning tools. The fruits are small yellow or orange drupes, measuring about 0.4 inches, but they are not as sweet or flavorful as other date palm varieties. Originally from the Canary Islands, it is now considered an invasive species in parts of North America and Australia.
Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)
The Pygmy Date Palm is a popular ornamental palm known for its small size and versatility in landscapes. It can grow as a clustering palm in its native habitat or as a single-trunk tree in cultivation. It is one of the few palms adapted to grow in fast-moving water, making it the most water-tolerant of the date palms.
This small palm grows 5 – 10 ft tall but can reach up to 23 ft under optimal conditions. It has a thin trunk, 3 – 5 inches wide, with diamond-shaped leaf scars. Its full crown of feathery, arching fronds gives it a soft, tropical appearance, but the petioles have sharp 2 – 5 inch spines.
The leaves are pinnately divided, up to 6.6 ft long, with 100 narrow, gray-green, drooping leaflets that are less than ½ inch wide. The flowers are pale yellow, appearing on short 1.5 ft inflorescences, followed by small, purplish-brown drupes. It thrives in USDA zones 9 – 11 but can also be grown indoors with proper sunlight. This palm requires well-drained soil and protection from intense desert sun.
Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix acaulis)
The Dwarf Date Palm is a small, stemless palm, with most of its trunk growing underground. This adaptation allows it to survive in arid climates by accessing water below the surface. Occasionally, a short visible trunk a few inches tall may emerge.
This palm features a dense crown of pinnately divided gray-green leaves that grow up to 5 ft long. Each leaf has 16 – 24 leaf segments on each side, each about 0.8 ft long. The petioles are armed with sharp spines, and when leaves die, their bases remain attached at the base of the plant.
Its fruit is a narrow, edible drupe that ripens from green and scarlet to blue-black, though it is rarely eaten by humans. The inflorescences are short and remain close to ground level. This palm is best grown in full sun or partial shade and thrives in well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Its compact size (3 – 6.6 ft tall) makes it a great choice for small gardens and xeriscaping.
Cretan Date Palm (Phoenix theophrasti)
The Cretan Date Palm is one of only two palm species native to continental Europe, primarily found in Crete, Greece, and parts of Turkey. It is classified as “Near Threatened” due to habitat loss and its limited native range.
This cold-hardy palm grows up to 50 ft tall with several slender, clustering trunks. It features pinnately divided feather-like leaves 6.5 – 10 ft long, with silvery-gray or grayish-green leaflets 6 – 20 inches long. The trunks are narrow and often retain dead leaves for many years. When the leaves are removed, the characteristic diamond-shaped leaf scars of the Phoenix genus become visible.
The fruits are small, ovoid, yellowish-brown drupes with thin, fibrous flesh, which are not especially sweet or flavorful. Unlike the True Date Palm, the Cretan Date Palm produces its fruit in upright clusters rather than pendulous ones. This low-maintenance palm thrives in USDA Zones 8 – 10 outdoors and can be grown in pots in Zones 4 – 8 if brought indoors during the winter. Genetic analysis reveals that the Medjool and Deglet Noor dates are hybrids of Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix theophrasti.
