Judean date palm 2005, before knowing the gender of the palm tree, Dr. Solowey was hoping that it would turn out to be female, for which there was a 50% chance, because that would have allowed it to give fruit; on the contrary, "if it's a male, it will just be a curiosity." Methuselah flowered in March 2011 and is male. As of 2012, there were tentative plans to crossbreed the palm with what was considered its closest extant relative, the Hayani date from Egypt, to generate fruit by 2022. By 2015 Methuselah had produced pollen that has been used successfully to pollinate
Açaí palm Açaí palm The açaí palm (, "asaí"), "Euterpe oleracea," is a species of palm tree (Arecaceae) cultivated for its fruit (açaí berries or simply açaí), hearts of palm (a vegetable), leaves and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit expanded rapidly in the 21st century and so the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily. "Euterpe oleracea" is mostly native to Brazil, Trinidad and other countries of northern South America, mainly in swamps and floodplains. Açaí palms are tall, slender trees growing to more than tall, with pinnate leaves up to long. The fruit is small, round, and black-purple in