What is Date palm?
{{Taxobox | name = Date palm | image = Phoenix dactylifera2.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = Phoenix dactylifera | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Liliopsida]] | ordo = [[Arecales]] | familia = [[Arecaceae]] | genus = ''[[Phoenix (plant)|Phoenix]]'' | species = '''''P. dactylifera''''' | binomial = ''Phoenix dactylifera'' | binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] }} [[File:Dates on date palm.jpg|thumb|Date palm]] [[File:Date-seller.jpg|thumb|right|Date seller in the old souq in [[Kuwait City]]]] The '''date palm''' is a tree. It has been cultivated for a very long time because of its fruit. The tree is between {{convert|15|and|25|m|abbr=off}} high. It has long leaves that look like [[feather]]s. Such leaves are called pinnate. The leaves can grow to {{convert|3|to|5| m|abbr=off}} in length. The leaves have visible spines. There are about 150 leaflets. Each leaflet can be up to {{convert|30|cm|abbr=off}} in length and {{convert|2|cm|abbr=off}} in breadth. The full span of the crown of the tree is {{convert|6 |to |10 |m|abbr=off}}. The tree has one or more trunks. All the trunks come from a single system of roots. == Production == World production of dates was approximately 6.7 Mio [[tonne]]s in [[2004]] ([[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] statistics). The major producers are: * [[Egypt]]: 1,100,000 t (16.2% of world production) * [[Iran]]: 880,000 t (13.0%) * [[Saudi Arabia]]: 830,000 t (12.3%) * [[United Arab Emirates]]: 760,000 t (11.2%) * [[India]]: 710,000 t (10.6%) * [[Pakistan]]: 650,000 t (9.6%) * [[Algeria]]: 450,000 t (6.6%) * [[Sudan]]: 330,000 t * [[Oman]]: 240,000 t * [[Libya]]: 140,000 t *[[Tunisia]]: 150,500 t * Others: 1,140,000 t * [[Iraq]] used to be a major producer of dates but in recent years production and exports have fallen considerably. * [[Kuwait]] The First International Date Conference was held in [[Tripoli]] in 1959. In that conference, it was decided to develop a special program under the Food and Agricultu