Etnobotánica de la Palmera Datilera (Phoenix Dactylifera L.,Arecaceae) en el Sureste de España

Abstract

the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula is the biggest extension in traditional cultivation of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in Europe, located in the northern limit of the area of the species in the Mediterranean. The tradition of the cultivation and use of the palm goes back to prehistoric times, being very well-known some like that of Elche from the early Middle Ages. The intrinsic difficulty of handling the palm, due fundamentally to the considerable trunk height and the assisted pollination to improve the fructification they have favoured the existence of the “palmerero”. The “palmerero” is a professional specialized trusted by the palm-proprietors, well these grow in gardens, palm groves or ravines. It is the one that they appeal for the diverse works of maintenance of the plant. The palmerero occupation is transmitted of generation in generation in the environment of families dedicated to that work. The traditional knowledge on the palm involves pollination, management of the fructification, use and conservation of the fruits, propagation, maintenance and cleaning of the palm trees. The practice of ogtaining white palm for Domingo de Ramos is another of the tasks carried out by the palmereros. Traditionally the propagation of the date palm was made from seeds, thus we do not find the clonal selection typical of the north of África. However we find a relative uniformity, particularly at local level in the south of Almería or around Abanillla. The diversity of the date palm in the Southeast of Spain is very high (morphological and genetical), so much in the form of the leaves like in that of the fruits. It is remarkable the period of ripening of the fruits that varies from late August until the month of March and even April. This however has not given place to an exhaustive ethnoclassification of the diverse types of palms. In palm-groves like those of Elche with an extraordinary diversity the preferred types traditionally don’t overcome the dozen, being those best known the “candits”, the “maurs” and the “tenats.”