Other Names:  India Date Palm, Wild Date Palm

Description:

This variety is widely utilized in tropical landscapes; will slowly mature into a stately palm and make an excellent landscape focal point; ripe fruits may be harvested for eating, cooking, or preserves

Ornamental Features

Sylvester Date Palm is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The fruits are showy orange drupes with a dark red blush and which fade to deep purple over time, which are carried in abundance in mid fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The narrow pinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. It has panicles of yellow flowers hanging below the branches in mid summer. The rough brown bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Sylvester Date Palm is a multi-stemmed evergreen tropical plant with a towering form, with a high canopy of foliage concentrated at the top of the plant. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This tropical plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Sylvester Date Palm is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts

Planting & Growing

Sylvester Date Palm will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a high canopy of foliage that sits well above the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more. This is a dioecious species, meaning that individual plants are either male or female. Only the females will produce fruit, and a male variety of the same species is required nearby as a pollinator.

This tropical plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.