ખજૂરી

Phoenix sylvestris

date-sugar palm खजूर

Naturalised

Commonly known as Indian wild date, Indian winepalm, silver date palm, sugar date palm, sugar palm, wild date.

The wild date palm that quietly supplies two very different products: sweet dates from its fruit, and jaggery and toddy tapped from its sap. It's dioecious, meaning you need both a male and a female tree nearby if you want fruit and seed.

The plant

Habit Tree, Flowers, Fruits

Origin Naturalised

Flowering Summer

Edible Yes

Growing it

Sun Full sun

Water Drought tolerant once established

Drainage Needs to drain well

Soil Sandy, black cotton · takes salt

Sow In the monsoon

Life it supports

Its bunches of small orange fruit are a favourite of fruit-eating birds like bulbuls and parakeets.

The story

According to Ayurveda, the date fruit is considered strengthening and heart-tonic; Sulemani kharek in particular is credited with easing fainting and inflammation.

What it is used for

Dates are sold soft, semi-dried, or fully dried (kharek), and can be soaked in milk to soften or ground into powder.
Sap from male trees ('niro') and female trees ('naka') is fermented into vinegar or distilled into an alcoholic drink called arek, or boiled down into jaggery.
Ground, roasted kharek is used as a coffee substitute, and oil pressed from the seed kernels is burned for light.
The trunk is carved into agricultural tools, the bark fed to cattle, and the leaves woven into brooms.

These uses are documented for information only and are not medical advice. Always verify the species and the plant part before use.

Where it is found

Cultivated worldwide, from Israel to Australia to Brazil. In India, key growing areas include Kutch in Gujarat, Abohar in Punjab, Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and Hisar in Haryana.

Sources

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