Date Leaves

Botanical Name: Phoenix Dactylifera
Origin: Land around Persian Gulf

The date is an erect palm to 100 or120 feet. It has overlapping, persistent, woody leaf bases. The feather like leaves are composed of a spiny petiole, a stout midrib, and slender, grey-green or bluish-greenish pinnae. Each leaf emerges from a sheath that splits into a network of fibers remaining at the leaf base. Small fragrant flowers are borne on a branched spadix. The fruit is oblong, dark brown, reddish, or yellowish brown when ripe with thin or thickish skin.

Uses of Date Leaves
Dried date leaves are fed to camels, horses and dogs in some areas of the world. Dried leaves are used as walking sticks, brooms, fishing floats, and fuel. The midribs are made into baskets. The leaf sheaths have been prized for their scent. Fiber from the old leaf sheaths is used for making ropes and large hats. The dried leaves have also been tested as a material for filtering drainage pipes. They also have good nutritional value in their dried form.