Date palm of the Tabernacles. Palm branches were scattered before Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. 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
Ceratocystis paradoxa the plant. If the pathogen infects the plant while fruits are still on it, they will prematurely drop. Other symptoms include discoloration of leaves as well as the seeds. The lesions on the fruit evolve to become soft rot spots that produce a heinous odor. The fruit can even get to the point of breakdown. Known Hosts: "Ananas comosus" (pineapple) "Araceae" "Areca catechu" (betelnut palm) "Borassus flabellifer" (toddy palm) "Butia capitata" "Cocos nucifera" (coconut) "Coffea" (coffee) "Daucus carota" (carrot) "Dypsis decaryi" "Elaeis guineensis" (African oil palm) "Eucalyptus" "Howea forsteriana" (paradise palm) "Mangifera indica" (mango) "Musa x paradisiaca" (plantain) "Phoenix dactylifera"