Phoenix theophrastii

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Arecales

Familia: Arecaceae
Subfamilia: Coryphoideae
Tribus: Phoeniceae
Genus: Phoenix
Species: Phoenix theophrasti
Name

Phoenix theophrasti Greuter, Bauhinia 3: 243 (1967).

Typus: [Greece], Creta, prov. Sitía, probe Vái, in plano arenoso vel argilloso juxta mare lucum formans, 2.10.1966, Greuter 7650 (Holotypus: PAL-Gr, isotypi: B, E, G, GB, ATH, UPA (hb. Phitos), hb. Zaffran, K, LD, M, W).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Europe
Southeastern Europe
Greece, Kriti.
Asia-Temperate
Western Asia
East Aegean Islands, Turkey.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Greuter, W. 1967. Beiträge zur Flora der Südägäis 8–9. Bauhinia 3(2): 243–254. PDF Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Phoenix theophrasti in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Dec 19. Reference page.
Dimopoulos, P., Raus, Th. & Strid, A. (eds.) 2018. Flora of Greece Web. Vascular Plants of Greece. An Annotated Checklist. 2nd version of May 2018, continuously updated. Phoenix theophrasti Published online. Accessed: 2018 Dec 19.Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Phoenix theophrasti in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.

Vernacular names
català: Palmera de Creta
Deutsch: Kretische Dattelpalme
Ελληνικά: Κρητικός φοίνικας
English: Cretan Date Palm
suomi: Kreetantaateli
magyar: Krétai datolyapálma
Nederlands: Kretenzische dadelpalm
русский: Финиковая пальма Теофраста
svenska: Kretensk dadelpalm
Türkçe: Datça hurması

Phoenix theophrasti, the Cretan date palm, is a palm native to the eastern Mediterranean, with a very restricted distribution, confined to southern Greece, a few sites on Crete and nearby islands, as well as some places on the Turkish coast. In Europe, with Chamaerops humilis (European fan palm) are the unique native palm trees in continental Europe. In Turkey, it is the only native palm species; all the others—although much more common—were introduced.[2]

The specific epithet theophrasti was chosen by the Swiss botanist Werner Greuter in 1967 for the fact that Theophrastus, the ancient Greek "father of botany", had described several types of palms, including one from Crete.[2][3]

A genomic study from New York University Abu Dhabi Center for Genomics and Systems Biology showed that domesticated date palm varieties from North Africa, including well-known varieties such as Medjool and Deglet Noor, are a hybrid between Middle East date palms and P. theophrasti.[4]
Description

Apart from the usually inedible dates and upright fruit clusters, the Cretan species can appear quite similar to the cultivated date (Phoenix dactylifera).[3]

Phoenix theophrasti grows up to 15 m tall, usually with several slender stems. The leaves are pinnate, 2–3 m long, with numerous rigid greyish-green linear leaflets 15–50 cm long on each side of the central rachis. Dead leaves are marcescent, remaining attached to the stem for years after withering.[2] The fruit is an oval yellowish-brown drupe 1.5 cm long and 1 cm diameter and containing a single large seed. The fruit pulp is too thin and fibrous to be of agricultural significance and has an acrid taste, though the fruits are sometimes eaten by the locals.
Distribution

Sites on Crete include Vai in the Lasithi Prefecture, Ayios Nikitas in Heraklion Prefecture, and Preveli gorge and Souda near Plakias, both on the south coasts of Crete in Rethymnon Prefecture. Trees are also found on Amorgos island, on Halki Island,[5] and on the south coast of Anafi island. Recently, around 10 trees, the only natural stand on the mainland, were found in an ancient palm forest in the Epidaurus area in Peloponnese. It has been proposed that its range was much more widespread in ancient Greece, growing from Crete to Thebes and from the Peloponnese to Delos.

Its presence in Turkey was not described scientifically until the 1980s.[2] There are four stands in southwest Turkey,[6] especially on the Datça and Bodrum Peninsulas in Muğla Province and in Kumluca-Karaöz in Finike Bay. The plants from a grove in the village of Gölköy in northern Bodrum are considered by some as a subspecies, having a shorter stem (4–8 m) but longer fruit stalks (.6–2 m).[3]

Areas forested with Phoenix theophrasti and Chamaerops humilis constitute Europe's only palm forests.[7]

The biggest palm forests of Europe are in fact Vai in Crete and the Palmeral of Elche in Spain.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cretan Date Palm.
References and external links

Johnson, D. (1998). "Phoenix theophrasti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1998: e.T38630A10140653. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T38630A10140653.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Hazir, A.; H. D. Buyukozturk (2013). "Phoenix spp. and other ornamental palms in Turkey: The threat from red palm weevil and red palm scale insects". Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture. 25 (11): 843. doi:10.9755/ejfa.v25i11.16500.
Boydak, Melih; Sasha Barrow (1995). "A New Locality for Phoenix in Turkey: Gölköy-Bödrum" (PDF). Principes. 39 (3): 117–122.
Flowers, Jonathan; et al. (2019). "Cross-species hybridization and the origin of North African date palms". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 116 (5): 1651–1658. doi:10.1073/pnas.1817453116. PMC 6358688. PMID 30642962.
Vernicos, Nicolas. "Chalki in the Dodecanese".
"Phoenix theophrasti". ARKive. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2006.

Johnson, D.V.; Group, I.S.P.S. (1996). Palms: Their Conservation and Sustained Utilization: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN. ISBN 9782831703527.

Davis, P. H., ed. (1965-1985). Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh.
Phoenix theophrasti - information, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)