Cape Verde date palm

The archipelago’s endemic date palm forms green oases on the sandy, dry islands of Boa Vista, Sal and Maio.

The Cape Verde date palm has several trunks growing from a single clump, reaches about 15 m and carries a crown of stiff, pinnate leaves. It is closely related to the date palm, but its fruits are small, with thin, barely sweet flesh, so they are of little importance as food. It grows on sandy plains and on valley floors where groundwater lies close to the surface. Its leaves are woven into baskets and mats and used for thatching.

Significance in the country

It is the only palm regarded as native to Cape Verde and one of the archipelago’s best-known endemics; groves of these palms near Sal Rei on Boa Vista are a characteristic feature of the landscape. The species is threatened by hybridisation with the cultivated date palm.

Where it grows

Mainly on the flat eastern islands of Boa Vista, Sal and Maio, and also in the valleys of Santiago; often near the coast, where groundwater is shallow.

More: Wikipedia (en)