Phoenix dactylifera L. Family - Arecaceae. Common Names(s) - Date Palm. Synonym(s) - NA.

Answer

Score

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated?

y=-3, n=0

y

-3

1.02

Has the species become naturalized where grown?

y=1, n=-1

y

1

1.03

Does the species have weedy races?

y=1, n=-1

y

1

2.01

Species suited to tropical or subtropical climate(s) (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) – If island is primarily wet habitat, then substitute “wet tropical” for “tropical or subtropical”

See Append 2

1

2.02

Quality of climate match data (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) see appendix 2

1

2.03

Broad climate suitability (environmental versatility)

y=1, n=0

n

0

2.04

Native or naturalized in regions with tropical or subtropical climates

y=1, n=0

y

1

2.05

Does the species have a history of repeated introductions outside its natural range?

y=-2, ?=-1, n=0

y

3.01

Naturalized beyond native range y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2), n= question 2.05

y

1.5

3.02

Garden/amenity/disturbance weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

0

3.03

Agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

0

3.04

Environmental weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

y

3

3.05

Congeneric weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

y

1.5

4.01

Produces spines, thorns or burrs

y=1, n=0

y

1

4.02

Allelopathic

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.03

Parasitic

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.04

Unpalatable to grazing animals

y=1, n=-1

4.05

Toxic to animals

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

y=1, n=0

y

1

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.09

Is a shade tolerant plant at some stage of its life cycle

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.10

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (or limestone conditions if not a volcanic island)

y=1, n=0

y

1

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

y=1, n=0

n

0

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y=1, n=0

y

1

5.01

Aquatic

y=5, n=0

n

0

5.02

Grass

y=1, n=0

n

0

5.03

Nitrogen fixing woody plant

y=1, n=0

n

0

5.04

Geophyte (herbaceous with underground storage organs -- bulbs, corms, or tubers)

y=1, n=0

n

0

6.01

Evidence of substantial reproductive failure in native habitat

y=1, n=0

n

0

6.02

Produces viable seed.

y=1, n=-1

y

1

6.03

Hybridizes naturally

y=1, n=-1

y

1

6.04

Self-compatible or apomictic

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

y=-1, n=0

n

0

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

y=1, n=-1

y

1

6.07

Minimum generative time (years) 1 year = 1, 2 or 3 years = 0, 4+ years = -1

See left

5+

-1

7.01

Propagules likely to be dispersed unintentionally (plants growing in heavily trafficked areas)

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.02

Propagules dispersed intentionally by people

y=1, n=-1

y

1

7.03

Propagules likely to disperse as a produce contaminant

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

y=1, n=-1

y

1

7.07

Propagules dispersed by other animals (externally)

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

7.08

Propagules survive passage through the gut

y=1, n=-1

y

1

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

y=1, n=-1

n

-1

8.02

Evidence that a persistent propagule bank is formed (>1 yr)

y=1, n=-1

y

1

8.03

Well controlled by herbicides

y=-1, n=1

y

-1

8.04

Tolerates, or benefits from, mutilation, cultivation, or fire

y=1, n=-1

y

1

8.05

Effective natural enemies present locally (e.g. introduced biocontrol agents)

y=-1, n=1

Total score:

10

Notes

Source

1.01

(1)The sweet, edible fruits have been a staple of Middle Easter peoples for millennia and a source of much commerce for hundreds of years. There are now hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties. (2)The seed is covered with soft, sweet, thick, yellow or red, edible pulp, which varies in the more than 1000 varieties, a few with no seeds or only vestiges and some with hard pulp. [varieties with no seeds would presumably be unable to spread far from original planting site]

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR. (2)Neal, M.C. 1965. In Gardens of Hawaii. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Honolulu, HI.

1.02

(1)Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized...Phoenix dactylifera has been found in the following 21 conservation areas [webpage lists 21 natural areas of Florida]...Phoenix dactylifera has been found in the following 3 habitats: Coastal Berm Disturbed Upland Rockland Hammock. (2)Phoenix dactylifera, a monocot, is a tree or shrub that is not native to California; it was introduced from elsewhere and naturalized in the wild (3)also naturalized near Nandi, Viti Levu.

(1)http://www.regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/plants/PlantPage.asp?TXCODE=Phoedact [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (2)http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6450 [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (3)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1.

1.03

(1)At Millstream it is a serious weed, impeding water flow and displacing the native Millstream fan-palm (Livistona alfredii).

(1)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia.

2.01

(1)Phoenix dactylifera would seem indigenous to all dry regions of northern Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan, and northwestern India, but was probably originally native only to northern Africa or the Middle East.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

2.02

(1)Phoenix dactylifera would seem indigenous to all dry regions of northern Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan, and northwestern India, but was probably originally native only to northern Africa or the Middle East.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

2.03

(1)The date palm does not fruit well in humid climates, no matter how much heat is applied during the summer...The date palm is hardy to cold, especially in dry climates where it is adaptable to zones 7-11, although marginal in zone 7. [broad climate suitability for vegetative growth, but limited climatic tolerance for fruit production] (2)"in any case, the climate here is too humid for consistent, plentiful fruit production."

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR. (2)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI.

2.04

(1)Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized...Phoenix dactylifera has been found in the following 21 conservation areas [webpage lists 21 natural areas of Florida]...Phoenix dactylifera has been found in the following 3 habitats: Coastal Berm Disturbed Upland Rockland Hammock. (2)Phoenix dactylifera, a monocot, is a tree or shrub that is not native to California; it was introduced from elsewhere and naturalized in the wild (3)also naturalized near Nandi, Viti Levu.

(1)http://www.regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/plants/PlantPage.asp?TXCODE=Phoedact [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (2)http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6450 [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (3)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1.

2.05

(1)Phoenix dactylifera and its cultivars became, in the last quarter of the 20th century, one of the most frequently planted landscape palms in the tropical and subtropical areas of the United States, particularly in the southwestern desert areas.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

3.01

(1)Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized...Phoenix dactylifera has been found in the following 21 conservation areas [webpage lists 21 natural areas of Florida]...Phoenix dactylifera has been found in the following 3 habitats: Coastal Berm Disturbed Upland Rockland Hammock. (2)Phoenix dactylifera, a monocot, is a tree or shrub that is not native to California; it was introduced from elsewhere and naturalized in the wild (3)also naturalized near Nandi, Viti Levu. (4)*Phoenix sp...Planted and sparsely reproducing in the Park. [Alien: Hawaiian populations of Phoenix palms may represent hybrids of uncertain origin]

(1)http://www.regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/plants/PlantPage.asp?TXCODE=Phoedact [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (2)http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6450 [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (3)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. (4)Medeiros, A.C., L.L. Loope, and C.G. Chimera. 1998. Flowering plants and gymnosperms of Haleakala National Park. Technical Report 120. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. University of Hawaii at Manoa. Honolulu.

3.02

(1)No evidence

(1)http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/phoenix_dactylifera/ [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

3.03

(1)No evidence

(1)http://www.hear.org/gcw/species/phoenix_dactylifera/ [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

3.04

(1) At Millstream it is a serious weed, impeding water flow and displacing the native Millstream fan-palm (Livistona alfredii). It is also spereading at Lake Kununurra, where it is of considerable concern, and at various wetlands in the arid zone. (2)Alien plant management at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park emphasizes control of localized alien plant species on a parkwide basis and control of widespread alien species in Special Ecological Areas. The purpose of the localized alien plant control program is to prevent the spread of potentially disruptive normative species while populations are still manageable. The program has intensified in the last five years, with control efforts currently directed at 41 species...Populations of nine species were reduced to seedling stages (or sprouts) with significantly reduced population numbers:..(Phoenix dactylifera), from 16 plants to 2 seedlings [being controlled in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for potential invasiveness] (3)Phoenix dactylifera being controlled since 1995

(1)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia. (2)Tunison, J.T. and N. G. Zimmer. 1992. Success in controllijng localized alien plants in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pp. 506-524 in C.P. Stone, C.W. Smith and J.T. Tunison (eds.). Alien Plant Invasions in Native Ecosystems of Hawai`i: Management and Research. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit and University of Hawaii. Honolulu, HI. (3)West, C.J. Eradication of alien plants on Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand. Pp.365-373 in C.R. Veitch and M.N. Clout (eds.). Turning the tide: the eradication of invasive species. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

3.05

(1) Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm) is a tree that has escaped cultivation in southern California to invade stream corridors as well as orchards and, occasionally, landscaped areas. As the name implies, Canary Island date palm is native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. Growing to 25 m tall, Canary Island date palms tend to grow in clusters that form a dense canopy that excludes light from reaching beneath them, leading to a loss of native plants under palm trees. (2)P. canariensis need to be properly pruned on a regular occasion to avoid human contact until they reach particular heights. Injuries from the fronds in which fragmented barbs lodge under the skin often require multiple surgical procedures in order to remove all foreign material. Since their introduction, P. canariensis have also become a source of bronchial asthma in a certain individuals, as palm fronds senesce and dry out (Adams et al. 2000; and Blanco et al. 1995). Brusati and DiTamaso (2003) also explain that P. canariensis has been documented displacing native trees and in one instance causing a river to change direction and subsequently flooding a historical site. (3)Invasive potential: According to the IFAS Assessment of the Status of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas (Fox et al. 2005), Phoenix reclinata (Senegal date palm) is: invasive and not recommended for use in the southern zone of Florida.

(1)http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Phoenix_canariensis.php [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (2)http://www.issg.org/database/species/impact_info.asp?si=864&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (3)http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/ST/ST44000.pdf [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

4.01

(1)The false petiole is 3 to 4 feet long and is armed with long sharp acanthophylls.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

4.02

(1)Sour orange, Citrus aurantium L., grows in gardens and some commercial orchards in central Iraq. Preliminary observations indicated that several herbaceous plants were not able to grow under sour orange even with repeated attempts and adequate irrigation and fertilization. The same observations were also made in citrus orchards left for more than three years without any agricultural practices. However, these herbaceous species grow normally under the Phoenix dactylifera L. [no evidence of allelopathy in date palms]

(1)Rizvi, S.J.H. and V. Rizvi. 1992. Allelopathy: Basic and Applied Aspects. Chapman and Hall. London, UK.

4.03

(1)No evidence

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

4.04

Unknown [most references refer to palatability of fruit, with no mention of leaf or foliage palatability]

4.05

(1)No evidence

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

4.06

(1) The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, invaded the Gulf states in the mid-1980s, where it is now causing severe damage to date palms. This polyphagous insect is widely found in southern Asia and Melanesia where it is a well-known problem for the damage it causes to coconuts grown in plantations. In this region, the weevil is sympatric with four other Asian Rhynchophorus species but the taxonomic status of some of these is unclear and some may be conspecific with the red palm weevil. Current tactics to manage the weevil in the Gulf and Asia are largely based on insecticide applications although there are now deep concerns about environmental pollution. Much research has been conducted on other techniques, notably pheromone traps. However, there is now a strong emphasis on the development of integrated pest management (IPM) based on pheromone traps and biological control rather than insecticides. Here we review the biogeography, basis of population outbreaks and current management tactics for the red palm weevil and related species, and then assess the potential of biological control to underpin the development of an IPM programme for it...The weevil is widely found in southern Asia and Melanesia, where
it feeds on a broad range of palms including coconut, sago, date, and oil palms. In some areas within this region it has also been recorded as a serious pest of introduced palms, particularly coconut (Kalshoven, 1981; Rajamanickan et al., 1995). For example in Tamil Nadu, India, yield losses of 10-25% have been recorded in plantations of this palm (P. C. Sundara Babu, pers. comm.). (2)In addition to hybridization, the endemic palm is also threatened by a lethal pest, the weevil Rhynchphorous ferrugineus, introduced with the date palms imported from the Middle East. (3)Pests and diseases Mites and insects (including Coleoptera, Homoptera, Isoptera and Lepidoptera) are listed as damaging to P. dactylifera. Pests include the bank grass mite (Olygonychus pratensis) in the USA, Old-World date mite (O. afrasiaticus), Iran and Iraq green scale (Asterolecanium phoenicus), palm stalk borer (Pseudophilus testaceus), and desert locust (Schistocera americana). Several diseases have been reported in the date-growing areas, including Bayoud disease, an epiphytotic disease caused by Fusarium oxysporium. The affected fronds take on a leaden hue and then wither. Significant reduction in the amount of irrigation water and isolation of diseased trees by trenches up to 2 m deep have proved useful control measures. Khamedi disease, an inflorescence rot caused by Mauginiella scaettae affecting date-growing areas from Libya to Morocco, is another serious plantation disease. Good sanitation and efficient maintenance of date-growing areas have proved effective control measures. Other diseases include graphiola leaf spot, diplodia disease, black scorch, belaat disease, omphalia root rot, brown leaf spot and lethal yellowing.

(1)Murphy, S.T. and B. R. Briscoe. 1999. The red palm weevil as an alien invasive: biology and the prospects for biological control as a component of IPM. Biocontrol 20(1): 35 – 46. (2)Whittaker, R.J. and José María Fernández-Palacios. 2007. Island Biogeography: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK. (3)http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1280 [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

4.07

(1)No evidence

(1)Sanderson, G. 2001. Natural History of the Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera. Available from http://www.enhg.org/alain/geoff/date.htm [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

4.08

(1)No evidence

(1)Sanderson, G. 2001. Natural History of the Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera. Available from http://www.enhg.org/alain/geoff/date.htm [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

4.09

(1)It needs full sun from youth to old age.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

4.10

(1)It seems indifferent to soil type as long as its drainage is unimpeded.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

4.11

(1)Imposing palm with a very slender trunk, up to 30 m tall, conspicuously covered with the remains of sheaths from fallen leaves.

(1)http://www.dipbot.unict.it/Palms/descr02.html [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

4.12

(1)it often persists after human habitation ceases, forming dense thickets by suckering and from seed spread by birds.

(1)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia.

5.01

(1)Terrestrial

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

5.02

(1)Arecaceae

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

5.03

(1)Arecaceae

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

5.04

(1)No evidence

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

6.01

(1)No evidence

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

6.02

(1)It can be propagated by suckers or seed.

(1)CAB International, 2005. Forestry Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.

6.03

(1)Today, few true date palms remain to be seen on Oahu; most of the cultivated date palms appear to be hybrids. (2)The introduction to an island of an allopatric congener, which is not fully reproductively isolated from the native taxon, can lead to a process of introgressive hybridization and the genetic dilution and eventual disappearance of the native form. This introgression process is currently affecting the Canarian endemic palm Phoenix xanariensis, the plant symbol of teh Canaries, as a result of the introduction of its closest relative, the date palm Pheonix dactylifera...Hybrid swarms are now found all over the archipelago, especially in the tourist honeypot areas on the eastern islands...A similar process of introgression is under way on the Cape Verde Islands, between the endemic palm Phoenix atlantica and the date palm.

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI. (2)Whittaker, R.J. and José María Fernández-Palacios. 2007. Island Biogeography: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK. (3)Wagner, W. L., D.R. Herbst and S.H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu.

6.04

(1)Its flowers, unisexual on dioecious plants, are small, whitish, fragrant, clustered in axillary spadices up to 120 cm long markedly bent downwards by their fruit weight.

(1)http://www.dipbot.unict.it/Palms/descr02.html [Accessed 12 Jan 2009]

6.05

(1)Wind and, perhaps, insects pollinate dates that grow in the wild. In commercial production, however, artificial pollination is necessary to ensure adequate fruit set.

(1)Donald R Hodel, Dennis V Johnson, Roy W Nixon. 2007. Imported and American Varieties of Dates (Phoenix Dactylifera) in the United States. ANR Publications. Oakland, CA.

6.06

(1)It propagates by suckers or seeding in spring. (2)it often persists after human habitation ceases, forming dense thickets by suckering and from seed spread by birds. (3)Ability to sucker; regenerate rapidly

(1)http://www.dipbot.unict.it/Palms/descr02.html [Accessed 12 Jan 2009] (2)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia. (3)CAB International, 2005. Forestry Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.

6.07

(1)Plants usually start bearing fruit after five to eight years

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI.

7.01

(1)No evidence [no means of external attachment on fruit or seeds]

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI.

7.02

(1)Phoenix dactylifera and its cultivars became, in the last quarter of the 20th century, one of the most frequently planted landscape palms in the tropical and subtropical areas of the United States, particularly in the southwestern desert areas.

(1)Riffle, R.L. and P. Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. Portland, OR.

7.03

(1)No evidence [fruit & seeds relatively large]

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI.

7.04

(1)fruit oblong-ellipsoid, yellowish brown or reddish at maturity, 4-7 cm long, 2-3 cm. in diameter, with sweet flesh.

(1)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1.

7.05

(1)fruit oblong-ellipsoid, yellowish brown or reddish at maturity, 4-7 cm long, 2-3 cm. in diameter, with sweet flesh. (2)it often persists after human habitation ceases, forming dense thickets by suckering and from seed spread by birds. (3)In late spring and summer, flowers of Acacia nilotica and Prosopis cineraria were frequently used, while in late summer fruits of Cordia myxa and Phoenix dactylifera were the best sources of food.

(1)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. (2)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia. (3)Ghadirian, T., A.T. Qashqaei and M. Dadras. 2007. Notes on Feeding and Breeding Habits of the Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica (Cinnyris asiaticus) in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Southern Iran. Podoces 2(2): 122–126.

7.06

(1)fruit oblong-ellipsoid, yellowish brown or reddish at maturity, 4-7 cm long, 2-3 cm. in diameter, with sweet flesh. (2)it often persists after human habitation ceases, forming dense thickets by suckering and from seed spread by birds. (3)In late spring and summer, flowers of Acacia nilotica and Prosopis cineraria were frequently used, while in late summer fruits of Cordia myxa and Phoenix dactylifera were the best sources of food. (4)Phoenix dactylifera L. dispersed by Pycnonotus leucogenys mesopotami (5)Phoenix dactylifera L. dispersed by Psittacula krameri

(1)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. (2)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia. (3)Ghadirian, T., A.T. Qashqaei and M. Dadras. 2007. Notes on Feeding and Breeding Habits of the Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica (Cinnyris asiaticus) in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Southern Iran. Podoces 2(2): 122–126. (4)Al-Dabbagh, K. Y., J. H. Jiad, & I. N. Waheed. 1988 (publ. 1989). The diet of the whitecheeked bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys. Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 85: 530–537.

7.07

(1)No evidence [no means of external attachment on fruit or seeds, although animals could possibly move fruit without swallowing seeds]

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI.

7.08

(1)fruit oblong-ellipsoid, yellowish brown or reddish at maturity, 4-7 cm long, 2-3 cm. in diameter, with sweet flesh. (2)it often persists after human habitation ceases, forming dense thickets by suckering and from seed spread by birds. (3)In late spring and summer, flowers of Acacia nilotica and Prosopis cineraria were frequently used, while in late summer fruits of Cordia myxa and Phoenix dactylifera were the best sources of food. (4)Phoenix dactyifera L. dispersed by Pycnonotus leucogenys mesopotami (5)Phoenix dactyifera L. dispersed byPsittacula krameri (6)Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus egyptiacus...According to t

(1)Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. (2)Hussey, B.M.J., G.J. Keighery, J. Dodd, S.G. Lloyd, and R.D. Cousens. 2007. Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. The Weed Society of Western Australia. Victoria Park, Western Australia. (3)Ghadirian, T., A.T. Qashqaei and M. Dadras. 2007. Notes on Feeding and Breeding Habits of the Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica (Cinnyris asiaticus) in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Southern Iran. Podoces 2(2): 122–126. (4)Al-Dabbagh, K. Y., J. H. Jiad, & I. N. Waheed. 1988 (publ. 1989). The diet of the whitecheeked bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys. Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 85: 530–537.

8.01

(1)"in any case, the climate here is too humid for consistent, plentiful fruit production." [Hawaii and other areas with humid climates reduce fruit production]

(1)Staples, G.W. and D.R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, HI.

8.02

(1)Storage Behaviour: Orthodox Storage Conditions: Little loss in viability after 1 year storage at room temperature (Sento, 1972); viability can be maintained for 8 years (Carpenter & Ream, 1976) up to 15 years at room temperature (Nixon, 1964); seeds at 7.8% mc were stored at 0°C, -20°C, -196°C for 546 days without loss in viability, however seeds at > or = 22% mc were killed by liquid nitrogen during 48 hours (Al-Madeni & Tisserat, 1986); seeds tolerate desiccation to 5.8% mc,no loss in viability after 3 years subsequent hermetic storage at -20°C (SSLR). (2)In 2005 2,000 year old seeds of the Judea date palm Phoenix dactylifera were germinated and produced healthy plants. These seeds were discovered in 1970 in an archeological dig in Israel. After the discovery the seeds were stored away in a desk and there remained until they were successfully germinated. The age of the seeds was determined by carbon dating of the seeds from the same lot that produced the plant.4

(1) Liu, K., Eastwood, R.J., Flynn, S., Turner, R.M., and Stuppy, W.H. 2008. Seed Information Database (release 7.1, May 2008) http://www.kew.org/data/sid (2)http://rsabg.org/horticulture/Seed%20Program/Seed%20Storage%20Guidelines.pdf [Accessed 13 Jan 2009]

8.03

(1)Adult tree controlled by 100% cut stump using herbicide Banvel.

(1)Tunison, J.T. and N. G. Zimmer. 1992. Success in controlling localized alien plants in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pp. 506-524 in C.P. Stone, C.W. Smith and J.T. Tunison (eds.). Alien Plant Invasions in Native Ecosystems of Hawai`i: Management and Research. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit and University of Hawaii. Honolulu, HI.

8.04

(1)Ability to sucker; regenerate rapidly

(1)CAB International, 2005. Forestry Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.

8.05

Unknown