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
Texas phoenix palm decline Texas phoenix palm decline Texas Phoenix palm decline is a plant disease caused by a phytoplasma, "Candidatus" Phytoplasma palmae. It takes its name from the state it was first identified in and the palm species, "Phoenix", upon which it was first identified. It is currently found in parts of Florida and Texas. The TPPD strain is classified as group 16SrIV, subgroup D (16SrIV-D) and LY:16SrIV-A. Several palms susceptible to the phytoplasma have been documented, including: "Phoenix canariensis", "Phoenix dactylifera", "Phoenix sylvestris", "Phoenix reclinata", "Sabal palmetto", and "Syagrus romanzoffiana". Prior to 2006, lethal yellowing was the only other strain of phytoplasma