P3 Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm)

Canary Island palm on road next to old retail center.
Entrance from Nursery Avenue.

Canary Island palms were said to be planted at every mission. Mission San Jose was established in 1797.

Native to: Canary Islands

Growth: 33-65 feet tall and sometimes to 131 feet.

Leaves: Pinnate, up to 20 feet with up to 100 leaflets

Fruit: Inedible. Male and female flowers occur on separate trees (dioecious)
Trunk: Lattice pattern from leaf scars
Water requirements: Medium (year round)
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Coryphoideae
Tribe: Phoeniceae












Learn more about Phoenix canariensis:

Canary Island palms are dioecious meaning that there are palms with female flowers and palms with male flowers. What do the flowers look like?

• Palmpedia
• Wikipedia
• SelecTree
• Cal-IPC Canary Island palms are considered invasive. There are quite a few volunteers in our parks and our Fremont yards. 
• Monrovia
• Etymology: There are many theories about the name Phoenix. One theory is "phoenix" refers to the color red-purple which is the color of the dates. Or that it is the Latin term for the Greek word for the date palm.

FAQs

Female flower?
This palms is next to LEAF fence.
We will see what these flowers do.

• Canary Island palms are dioecious. How do you tell a female from a male? See photo.
• What is the edible date palm? Phoenix dactylifera is the edible date palm and the various types of dates are from cultivars (Deglet noor and medjool are the two familiar to Americans).
• Why did the Spanish missionaries bring a non-edible palm with them? The palms were useful for many reasons - braces, thatch, rope, and sugar.
• How do you get palm syrup from this palm? Miel de palma is made on La Gomera in the Canary Islands. This article can be translated and talks about the process.

• Who lives in the Canary Island palm? Barn owls and Orioles and others.

Empty oriole nest

• Where are the "PPIE Palms"?

Along the eastern side of the property is a line of Canary Island palms
of the same age as those palms that went to
the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
There are about 20 or more along the eastern boundary,
extending outside the park, north and south.
Are these the palms that went to the PPIE and came back?
Or the palms that had to stay behind?

This long line of cars was the "Manufactures Excursion",
probably around April 20-30, 1914.
This would have been around the time the palms were being moved to SF.
The cars are heading towards the hills.
They are far enough away that they might be at the
Eberly siding on the Western Pacific line.

The Canary Island palms along the road into the park in the 1940's
during a spring bulb festival.
George Roeding called the entry palms the "Avenue of Palms" in the 1920's.