Phoenix pusilla

Phoenix pusilla (pusilla, Latin: tiny or weak), the Ceylon date palm or flour palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, native to southern India and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). They are found in lowlands, ridges and on hills. No taller than 5 m, this species is usually single-stemmed but clumps do occur naturally. At 25 cm in diameter, the trunks are covered with distinct leaf-base scars, forming a 'wicker' pattern. Their distinguishable trunks have made them popular in cultivation. They are drought tolerant and slow-growing.

Ceylon date palm
A fruiting specimen of P. pusilla at Guindy National Park in Chennai
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Phoenix
Species:	P. pusilla
Binomial name
Phoenix pusilla Roxb.

References

• Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland: Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-558-6 / ISBN 978-0-88192-558-6 (page 403)
• http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Phoenix/pusilla.html
• Nucleated succession by an endemic palm Phoenix pusilla enhances diversity of woody species in the arid Coromandel Coast of India [1]
• http://www.palmworld.org/palmworld-Phoenix-pusilla.html