Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Phoenix sylvestris
Silver Date Palm
Phoenix sylvestris is the date palm of the Indian subcontinent, and in landscape terms it is often the better choice of the two. It carries a fuller and more symmetrical silver-blue crown than the true date, it holds a single clean trunk rather than suckering, and it is markedly easier to establish at avenue scale.
The trunk is its signature. Old leaf bases leave a regular diamond lattice up the stem, which reads well under uplighting and accounts for much of why it is specified for entrances and hotel forecourts.
Specifications
- Height12 to 16 metres
- Width6 to 10 metres (crown spread)
- Native toThe Indian subcontinent, from Pakistan and India through to Bangladesh and Myanmar
- FoliageArching pinnate fronds in silver-blue to grey-green, forming a dense rounded crown; evergreen
- Growth rateModerate
Conditions
- SoilTolerates a wide range including sandy, alkaline and mildly saline soils, provided drainage is free
- LightFull sun
- WaterLow to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
- ClimateThrives in arid, semi-arid, tropical and subtropical regions
Additional Features
- FormA single clean trunk carrying a dense symmetrical crown, with old leaf bases leaving a diamond lattice up the stem
- UsesAvenue and entrance planting, hotel forecourts, plazas, parks and resort landscapes
- SpacingPlant 6 to 8 metres apart for avenue work
- Low MaintenanceRemove dead fronds periodically; no other routine work is required
- Pest ResistanceGenerally robust, though the genus is susceptible to red palm weevil and requires monitoring across the Gulf
- Drought ToleranceEstablished palms hold condition through extended dry periods
- Salt ToleranceTolerates saline irrigation and coastal exposure
- LongevityLong-lived, improving in presence for decades after planting
The Silver Date Palm is a formal avenue and entrance palm with the hardiness to hold that role in a desert climate.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 09 September 2026