Phoenix rupicola

T. Anderson

East Indian Wine Palm, Cliff date palm

Arecaceae

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Starch

The pith of the stem is sometimes eaten raw. Fruit - raw. A sweet but mealy flesh. The obovoid fruit is around 15mm long and 9mm wide.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows naturally among rocks on cliffs and gorges. They suit tropical and subtropical regions. It can grow in sunny or shady locations. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A medium sized palm. The trunk can be 8-10 m tall. The trunk is slender and 15-20 cm across. The trunk is often free of old leaf bases. The fronds arch over and form a graceful crown. The leaves are feather shaped, finely divided and glossy green. They are 3 m long. They are often twisted and hang down. There are many stiff leaflets which are thin textured. They are bright green and crowded along the midrib. They arise mostly in one plane. This gives the leaves a flat appearance. The flowering stalk arises among the leaf bases. It is short and much branched. It hangs down. The flowers are cream. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The fruit are oblong and 20 mm long. The fruit are purple-red when ripe.

How to Grow

Plants are grown from seed. Seeds are small and germinate easily. They take 2-3 months to germinate.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Phoenix rupicola (rupicola - Latin, inhabitant of rocks) or cliff date palm is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, native to the mountainous forests of India and Bhutan from 300 to 1,200 m (980 to 3,940 ft), usually occurring on cliffs, hillsides and similar terrain. It is threatened by habitat loss in its native range. On the other hand, the species is reportedly naturalised in the Andaman Islands, the Leeward Islands, Cuba and Puerto Rico and a specimen has recently been reported in Saint Lucia.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

There are 17 Phoenix species.

Names & Synonyms

Kola khejur, Palem korma, Scrap

References (20)

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