After the popularity of the Medjool Date Palm over the past decade, it was inevitable that the Sylvester Palm would begin to compete with the Medjool as a less expensive substitute.   The shape of the two palms is very similar with the difference being that the Sylvester has shorter fronds and has a tighter, fuller canopy or head.    Many also consider the Sylvester Palm to be more appropriate for Florida.  The Sylvester Palm  (Phoenix sylvestris)  is native to India which is much more comparable to Florida as opposed to the Medjool Palm, native to Morrocco which is in the desert (last time I checked).    As dry as it has been over the past few years in Florida, it is still not a desert !   The  Medjool  date palm (Phoenix dactylifera)  creates unsightly air roots several feet up the trunk as it reacts to the irrigation and heavy rains that are such a foreign environment.     It’s not a stretch of the imagination to assume that ultimately they will decline in such an unsuitable state.    The Sylvester Palm demonstrates no such problems and seems perfectly happy in our humid climate.   

The Sylvester Date Palm, also called;   the “India Date Palm”, “Toddy Palm”, “Silver Date Palm”, “Sugar Date Palm” and the “khajuri”,  (which I can only assume to be the common name in India).  The Toddy Palm name comes from the common practice of fermenting the dates to make an alcoholic beverage known as the “toddy”.    The Silver Date Palm name due to  its tendency towards a blueish green color, almost turquoise in some cases.

The Sylvester date has a reputation for being cold-hardy that was tested this past winter of ’09.  On our farm, the temperature dropped to 19 degrees Farenheit  turning many of our Sylvesters brown, although killing none of them.  Now, in June, the unsightly brown has almost completely diminished as the new fronds have taken over the head of the palm.  The reports from other farms and landscapes were mixed.  A large street planting in Gainesville, Fla did very well, with barely any damage perhaps due to the protection offered by the heat of the city.   The more northerly and rural farms did not fare so well as frost damage was very common in the colder parts of the state of Florida.  The jury is still out on the cold-hardiness of the Sylvester Palm.  Perhaps we can still consider it very cold hardy but not the bullet proof winter tiger we had all believed it to be. 

One major challenge for the Sylvester Palm is a disease known as Texas Phoenix decline, so named due to its discovery in the state of Texas.   Phoenix decline has become a problem for all species of Phoenix and several other types of palms including the Washingtonia, the Queen Palm, and even the Cabbage Palm.  This disease is believed to be carried by leaf hoppers but the exact details are not completely understood.  Phoenix decline has caused all of these varieties of palms in Florida to be banned from shipping to, ironically, the state of Texas.  This disease is related to but not the same as lethal yellowing disease found in Southeast Florida.  Texas Phoenix decline is fatal to the palm if it is not detected and treated in time.  So far, the disease is most prevalent in the gulf coast area from Tampa to Sarasota.  There is an excellent article on Texas Phoenix decline at the UF IFAS website (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP163 ) that offers a great deal of good information.  The good news is that this disease can be controlled with attention and antibiotics. 

The Phoenix sylvestris is a new but welcome addition to the landscapes of Florida as an attractive and hardy palm tree that contributes well to the diversity of our state’s plant palette.