Phoenix (plant) - Ecology

Ecology

Majority of the forest palms grow under the shade of dominating forests trees along fragile hill slopes and stream courses in warm humid conditions. The palms are found growing on a wide variety of soils, Often extend to degraded forest margins in grasslands. In tropics most of them are found below 1250 m altitude. Branching of aerial trunk is rare and is mainly induced by injury to the terminal growing bud. Flowering and fruit is regular and annual. The reproduction is by seeds and also by vegetative multiplication. Many species of Phoenix, produce vegetative offshoots called bulbils from basal portions of their stems which, on rooting, develop new sapling. Close relationship among the 14 species is illustrated by the ease of hybridisation and cross-pollination (Moore, 1963; Munier, 1973). Several natural hybrids were hence obtained: P. dactylifera X. P. sylvestris (India); P. dactylifera × P. canariensis (Morocco, Algeria and Israel); P. dactylifera × P. reclinata (Senegal). Phoenix species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Paysandisia archon and the Batrachedra species B. amydraula (recorded on P. dactylifera), B. arenosella and B. isochtha (feeds exclusively on Phoenix spp.).