The difference between a Canary Island date palm and a date palm

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Because palm trees all tend to look about the same, and are about the same size in pots, at the garden center, it's important to look at mature specimens.

I was at the Sahuaro Ranch Park today and took this photo that shows a good contrast between a Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), which is at the center of the photo, and a date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), which is just to the right of it.

The Canary Island Date palm, as you can see, has greener fronds. The regular date palm's fronds are more bluish. The scale of these trees is gigantic. If you're interested in a dense, green canopy, Canary Island Date palms are the way to go. And if anyone ever tells you that palm trees don't give shade, bring them over to Sahuaro Ranch and have them stand under a grove of Canary Island Date palms. They give a lot of shade, and really give a feeling of an oasis.


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