Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Here are my dates sent to me by my husband from Iraq:

The box - sorry about the coffee!


Yes I am eating them, they are very good!


The four different kinds and their pits:


This is the one that has sprouted for me (the darkest one):


The seeds getting roots (baggy method)


Shedding the seed coat


The seedlings as of today 6/18/10


I have read on the internet that 370 different kinds of dates grow in Iraq - they are second only to Iran that grows over 400. I know this is a long shot, but just wondered if anyone may have any guesses.

I just think it is soooo cool that I have sprouted some! :woohoonaner:

~JaNan

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Hmmm...didn't realize palms were dicots. Interesting. I can't help on the ID cause I know virtually nothing about palms, but thanks for sharing the pics!

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

I didn't know that either Doc! Ante said his come up with a single leaf and I have seen his pictures. These almost look like a tiny little Sago palm leaf and I know Sagos are not really palms at all. But I am the first to admit I am not even close to knowing very much about dates or palms. I added a couple of other pictures below tying in the steps.

~JaNan

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

I'd guess they are all Type of phoenix True dates, I'd taste them and the sweetest one's are the one's I'd germinate. The one's that aren't sweet are most likely a bread date. :^) They are good down to 18F :^) I do believe...

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Cool, thanks for sharing, and good luck!

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Cool! Show us some updated photos when they get bigger. I don't know much about Palms, or dates in particular, but they don't look like palms to me.

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Those aren't palm seedlings. Date Palm seedlings, like other palms, look like thick grass blades.

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

One person from another forum where I posted a link to this thread suggested the following I.D. for 3 of your fruits:

I'll ask another friend who knows a lot about dates.

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

looks like tamarind seedlings

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Thanks guys! I know nothing about them so I really appreciate your help. Ante told me early on that they were not palm seedlings. When I saw Tony's Tamarind seedling I thought that is what it was also. But the seeds look nothing like Tamarind seeds.

tamarind seeds - Google Search

There are many bipinnate trees. They look like Mimosa, but not like the seeds (I have grown these from seeds also). They look like Royal Poinciana (Delonix Regia) seeds - but they don't make edible fruit as far as I can find.

Delonix Regia seeds - Google Search

Here is a current picture of my seedlings:



Also, they close up at night if that is any clue. They are probably not hardy to my zone but they are beautiful little trees. Since I have four of them I may try planting one to see what happens, but they are probably doomed to life in a pot. :ha:

Thanks a bunch Harvey! That will help in the future if and when I can get any of the other seeds to root!

~JaNan

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

they close up at night if that is any clue Tamarind seedling this morning.

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Sorry to tell you Jan, but whatever the seedlings in the last picture are - they are definitely not dates. Dates are easy to germinate but the reason that the dates from Israel won't grow from pits from the fruit in the stores, is that they have been pasteurised before packaging. Could this be the case with your dates? These could be tamarind but I am not familiar enough with them to say.

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

This is tipicall Palm seedling

:woohoonaner:

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Thanks Ante! Cassie I do not know. I have another batch that I am trying to root and I do have a few little white nubs showing, so it appears that they are not treated in any way to prevent rooting. I am anxious to see what they look like.

I have another link:

BiPinnate fruit trees - Google Search

~J

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Don't know what happened with the seed mix-up, but another friend said the following about your date fruits:

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

Here are two more of the pits with root starts showing this morning 7/25/10:







These are two other types from the pictures I originally posted from the more golden two - upper and lower left. So maybe I will see the thick blade of grass sprout in these! :)

~JaNan

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

NOW I have some date palms coming up! WOO HOO!!!!! :woohoonaner:
These are from the date gift box from Iraq:







See Ante I CAN do it! YAY! :lurk:

~JaNan

Re: Can Anyone ID These Palm Seedlings?
 

No doubt about it!
:woohoonaner:
Bravo Jan,
they looooove deep pots ;)
:nanadrink: