Date palm Date palm Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from the Fertile Crescent region straddling between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The species is widely cultivated across Northern Africa, The Middle East, The Horn of Africa and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. "P. dactylifera" is the type species of genus "Phoenix", which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms, and is the major
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat under palm fronds, in dense forests near rivers, under thatched roofs of sheds, and, rarely, in caves. Roosting groups may be 3–100 individuals. Bats typically change roost locations daily or every few days and may fly as far as 4 km (2.5 mi) to feeding areas. Roost locations may follow the ripening of fruit trees. Alternatively, frequently changing roost sites may be a strategy to decrease predation. Females travel greater distances to feeding areas early in the night while males travel farther closer to dawn. Roost trees may be shared with other "Epomophorus" species, though roosting groups are formed by