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"Zahidi" or Medjool?"


Paul The Palm Doctor!

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I am about to provide information in a legal deposition alleging that a purveyor of Phoenix dactylifera is selling "Medjools" but is instead providing "Zahidis."

What are the varietally unique characteristics of the "Medjool" date vs. the "Zahidi" date palm? Are they obviously different or are the differences not readily found upon visual inspection? Should these palm appearance differences dictate sales price differences also?

I have obtained information from a large volume purveyor of date palms in SE Florida, but I am still not convinced that I have been able to ascertain THE key varietal markers of tree inspection differentiation. Are there any Phoenix dactylifera experts among our Palm Talk participants?

In advance, I appreciate your date palm I.D. help profoundly!

Paul

PS: I have those questions also posed at my web-site's Forum. Its readers need the information also. Adhering to Palm Society's policy, I cannot mention the web site's URL, again.

Paul, The Palm Doctor @ http://www.thewisegardener.com

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Very good links Kris.....I was going to suggest the datepalm.com site........but you beat me to it.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Don't know if you have time to research a book but I recently purchased "Dates - Imported and American varieties of Dates in the U.S." by Donald Hodel and Dennis Johnson. Has tons of info on all variety of dates. Jv

Jv in San Antonio Texas / Zone 8/extremes past 29 yrs: 117F (47.2C) / 8F (-13.3C)

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Excerpts from the book that might help...

Zahidi -

Fronds, are jade green or light hellebore green, blades 3.1-4.2 m long.

Fruit, yellow in color have a distinctive, obovate shape. Fruit size, obovate and 34-40mm x 23-25mm.

Spines, 25-30 occupying 1/7 to 1/4 of blade usually half of them solitary with a rather even, symmetrical arrangement.

Pinnae, slightly drooping, longest 55-76 cm x 1.6-3.2cm.

Seed, grayish brown, oblong 21-25mm

Medjool -

Fronds, are short to medium long; curvature slight and uniform, no blade size given

Fruit, orange-yellow in khalal stage, broadly oblong-oval to ovate; size, 38-48mm x 26-32mm.

Spines, 30-38 occupying 1/4 of the blade; mostly in groups of two with 1-3 groups of three on some leaves.

Pinnae, Slightly to moderate drooping, longest 70-82cm x 2.4-3.0 cm.

Seed, dark brown, oblong 18-24mm

Jv

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Jv in San Antonio Texas / Zone 8/extremes past 29 yrs: 117F (47.2C) / 8F (-13.3C)

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Very good links Kris.....I was going to suggest the datepalm.com site........but you beat me to it.

Thanks dear david :)

And i visit that site regularly since iam phoenix palm fan ! and now the leadership is headed by a lady and she knows how to conduct the phoenix palm bussiness in the most proffessional way. :greenthumb: And iam impressed ! :winkie:

love,

kris :)

love conquers all..

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.

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Don't know if you have time to research a book but I recently purchased "Dates - Imported and American varieties of Dates in the U.S." by Donald Hodel and Dennis Johnson. Has tons of info on all variety of dates. Jv

Excellent advice, JV!!

Paul

Paul, The Palm Doctor @ http://www.thewisegardener.com

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I am about to provide information in a legal deposition alleging that a purveyor of Phoenix dactylifera is selling "Medjools" but is instead providing "Zahidis."

What are the varietally unique characteristics of the "Medjool" date vs. the "Zahidi" date palm? Are they obviously different or are the differences not readily found upon visual inspection? Should these palm appearance differences dictate sales price differences also?

I have obtained information from a large volume purveyor of date palms in SE Florida, but I am still not convinced that I have been able to ascertain THE key varietal markers of tree inspection differentiation. Are there any Phoenix dactylifera experts among our Palm Talk participants?

In advance, I appreciate your date palm I.D. help profoundly!

Paul

Thank you, everyone for such great information!

I appreciate it very much. I guess that for landscape purposes, the "Medjool" is the more majestic choice, no?

Paul

Paul, The Palm Doctor @ http://www.thewisegardener.com

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I have two Medjools so naturally I am very curious if in fact I got Medjools instead of a much less expensive and much more readily available Deglet Noor.

P. Dactylifera "Deglet Noor"

pd-degletnoor.jpg

P. Dactylifera "Medjool"

pd-medjool.jpg

Apparently the only visible difference is the Deglett is that it does not produce a dense canopy as the Medjool. But it is hard to tell the difference it the canopy has been tied up for a period of time. The Medjool is also characterized by a silvery green frond that tend to arch out and downward. Where as the Deglett has a darker green frond that grows more upward. As seen in the picture above.

Looks like I have two P. Dactylifera "Medjool"!

Here is a picture of one of mine:

DSCF3307.jpg

Edited by Big Tex

Houston, Texas

29.8649°N - 95.6521°W

Elevation 114.8 ft

Sunset zone 28

USDA zone 9a

Average maximum high temperature 93.60 F

Average maximum low temperature 45.20 F

The annual average precipitation is 53.34 Inches

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 6 years later...

It is likely hard to tell the variety difference in pups.  The difference is obvious in adults, however.

The tree in the foreground is my Medjool.  In the background is my Zahidi.  The Medjool has a

much slimmer trunk and shorter leaves.  I don't know that this is true of a small pup.  Both make

very good table dates.  The Medjool commands a higher price because of the large size of the grade A

fruits.  As for the Deglet Noor, there is a reason it is much more "common", it is the favorite date in

the USA (commercially speaking).  It stores and ships well, it isn't much affected by late summer

rain (ie "checking").  There are other better tasting dates than Deglet Noor, Zahidi or Medjool

(ie Black Sphinx, China Ranch, Khalasah), but they don't handle, ship or store near as well.

A good analogy would be heirloom tomatoes vs. commercial stock.  All this said, they are

equally good on a hot day with vanilla ice cream in a date shake!

IMG_1333_2.jpg

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