Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm)

Phoenix canariensis

Photo courtesy Mike Kelly

Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm) is a tree that has escaped cultivation in southern California to invade stream corridors as well as orchards and, occasionally, landscaped areas. As the name implies, Canary Island date palm is native to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. Growing to 25 m tall, Canary Island date palms tend to grow in clusters that form a dense canopy that excludes light from reaching beneath them, leading to a loss of native plants under palm trees.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: Limited

Cal-IPC Resources on Phoenix canariensis

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. Each issue is available as a pdf. List of articles on Phoenix canariensis.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. List of articles on Phoenix canariensis.
• Don't Plant a Pest! - Select your region to find non-invasive alternatives to ornamental species. Also see our statewide brochure on trees.

Cal-IPC News Articles

• Burkhart, B. and M. Kelly (2005). Which weeds dominate southern California urban riparian systems? Cal-IPC News.13:4-5,12.
• Kelly, M. (2007) Why palms made it into the Inventory. Cal-IPC News. 15 (1-2): 4, 13, 15.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• Kelly, M., B. Peterson, et al. (2007). Drilling and injecting two invasive palm species. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2007. San Diego, CA, California Invasive Plant Council.
• Burkhart, B. and M. Kelly (2007). How to develop user-friendly riparian corridor invasive exotic species/habitat restoration master plans: Experiences on the San Diego and Otay Rivers. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium 2007. San Diego, CA, California Invasive Plant Council.
• Kelly, M. (2001). Drilling as a technique for controlling eucalyptus, palms & other exotic trees. California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium 2001. San Diego, CA.

Other Resources on Phoenix canariensis

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.

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