About Phoenix theophrasti Greuter
Phoenix theophrasti Greuter, a species native to Crete and surrounding regions, generally looks very similar to the cultivated date palm, differing mainly in its usually inedible fruits and upright fruit clusters. This palm grows up to 15 m (49 ft) tall, and typically produces multiple slender stems. Its leaves are pinnate, reaching 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) in length. Numerous rigid, greyish-green linear leaflets, each 15–50 cm (6–20 in) long, grow on either side of the leaf's central rachis. Dead leaves of this species are marcescent, meaning they remain attached to the stem for years after they wither. The fruit is an oval yellowish-brown drupe, measuring 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long and 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter, and holds a single large seed. The pulp of the fruit is too thin and fibrous to have agricultural value, and it has an acrid taste, though local people sometimes eat the fruits. This species has a fairly limited distribution: it is mostly restricted to southern Greece, occurring at just a few sites on Crete and nearby islands, and also grows in scattered locations along the Turkish coast.
