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Date palm – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.

Date palm seeds

Date palm tree plant (Phoenix dactylifera)

Date palm Date palm The date palm is a tall, unbranched tree with a crown of huge, compound leaves. It can grow singly or sometimes forming a clump with several stems from a single root system.  The leaves are long with spines.  Its fruit. called “dates”, is yellow when ripe.

Where to find Date palm tree plants

The Date palm tree grows in arid semitropical regions. Date palm trees are primarily found in the Middle East and North Africa regions, particularly in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. These regions are known for their hot and dry climate, which is ideal for the growth of date palm trees.

Apart from the Middle East and North Africa, date palm trees are also cultivated in other parts of the world. For instance, California in the United States is one of the largest producers of dates outside of the Middle East. Australia and Israel are also known for their date palm tree cultivation.

Edible parts of the Date palm plant

Date palm fruit is edible fresh but is very bitter if eaten before it is ripe. You can dry the fruits in the sun and preserve them for a long time.  Young date leaves can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.  The seeds can be ground and mixed with flour to make bread.  The flowers are also edible.

Date palm with heavy bunch of seedsOther uses for the Date palm tree

The trunks of date palm trees provide valuable building material in desert regions where few other treelike plants are found. The leaves are durable, and you can use them for thatching and as weaving material. The base of the leaves resembles coarse cloth that you can use for scrubbing and cleaning.  Date seed oil is suitable for use in soap and cosmetics.  Stripped fruit clusters can be used as brooms.

Dates have a high tannin content and can be used as a cleansing solution.  Dates may be used to treat colds, fever, and sore throats.  The gum that exudes from the trunk is used in India for treating diarrhea.  The roots can help soothe a toothache.

Date palm plant picture identification guide

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