Scientific: Phoenix canariensis
Common: Canary Island date palm, pineapple palm
Family: Arecaceae (Palmae)
Origin: Canary Islands off coast of northwest Africa.
Pronounciation: FEE-nix ka-nar-ee-EN-sis
Hardiness zones
Sunset 9, 12-24
USDA 9-11 (arid and semi arid region best)
Landscape Use: Strong vertical accent, specimen, focal point, subtropical, a giant palm for very large urban spaces, parks.
Form & Character: Upright, solitary, stout, massive, tropical.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, perennial monocot, slow growth until it develops a trunk, then vigorous and upright to 60 feet with occasional spread to 50 feet in California. Spread much reduced in Phoenix because of the oppressive heat. Does not clump at the base as do some other species of Phoenix.
Foliage/Texture: Feather palm with long sometimes half-twisting pinnately compound fronds to 20-feet long, frond pinnae paired, frond petiole scars broader than high; very coarse texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Dioecious; male flowers about 3/8-inch long, petals not acuminate, female flowers with calyx nearly as long as petals, all multiple branched yellow-orange flowers in winter. Fruits are oblong-ellipsoid shaped, yellowish to reddish in color when ripe, 3/4-inch long to 1/2-inch wide.
Seasonal Color: None
Temperature: Hardy to 20oF.
Light: Full sun
Soil: Tolerant of Phoenix soils and moderate alkalinity, but can develop symptoms of magnesium deficiency (chlorosis on older frond pinnae). If soils are fertile, then this palm will have deep green fronds and will become massive.
Watering: Infrequent deep irrigations once established.
Pruning: Removal of dead fronds to give it that nice and tidy look.
Propagation: Seed
Disease and Pests: Generally none in Phoenix, although Fusarium wilt can be a problem elsewhere.
Additional comments: In the landscape, this is a MASSIVE palm that is not for the faint of heart and is too large for most residental landscape spaces. Otherwise, Canary Island date palm can be maintained in large tub containers for years as small accent palm that looks like the top of a pineapple. But plant it in the ground and as Keith Jackson says, "Whoa Nellie!!", there it grows (here's Phoenix canariensis in Santa Barbara, California).
