User:Petemuhitch/Phoenix canariensis

Cultivation[edit]
The approximate range of cultivation for Canary Island date palms in the US with little to no winter protection. The Canary Island date palm is typically cultivated in wet-winter or Mediterranean climates, but also in wet-summer or humid subtropical climates like eastern Australia and the southeastern United States. There are even several instances of cultivated Canary Island date palms in high-latitude oceanic climates, such as Ireland, the UK, and the Channel Islands. It can be cultivated where temperatures rarely fall below −10 or −12 °C (14 or 10 °F) for extended periods, although it will require some protection if cold periods are longer than normal. It is a slowly growing tree, exclusively propagated by seed.

The palm is easily recognized through its crown of leaves and trunk characteristics. It is not uncommon to see Canary Island date palms pruned and trimmed to enhance the appearance. When pruned, the bottom of the crown, also called the nut, appears to have a pineapple shape.

The Canary Island date palm is susceptible to Fusarium wilt, a fungal disease commonly transmitted through contaminated seed, soil, and pruning tools. Spread of the disease can be reduced when pruning tools are disinfected before use on this palm. The South American palm weevil causes them to droop, turn brown and die.[1]

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Use in Landscapes
The Canary Island date palm has been planted in several notable examples of landscaping, particularly in the American state of California. The Canary Island date palm, according to legend, was first planted in what is now San Diego in 1769 by Spanish missionary Junípero Serra, founder of the California mission system. Though this is story is likely just a false legend, Spanish missionaries did cultivate true date palms, rather than Canary Island date palms, in California in the late 1700s for the fruit. Until 1957, however, a Canary Island date palm did stand and was regarded with fame as "The Serra Palm."

Other famous plantings of the Canary Island date palm in California include the campus of Stanford University, which contains 600 of Canary Island date palms in its Mediterranean-inspired campus. Stanford's entrance, Palm Drive, is one example of extensive use of the Canary Island date palm in landscaping, including 166 of the species along the stretch leading to the campus. Oracle Park of San Francisco--the stadium of the Major League Baseball team, the San Francisco Giants, is another notable example of the Canary Island date palm in Californian landscaping, containing a host of the species at the stadium's entrance and beyond left field.