Zahidi
GenusPhoenix
SpeciesPhoenix dactylifera
CultivarZahidi
OriginIraq

Zahidi (Arabic: زهدي) is a cultivar of the palm date that originated in Iraq. It has light brown skin. It is a semi-dry date of medium size that is very sweet. Zahidi dates ship well and are widely exported.[1]

It is the most widely grown date cultivar in Iraq, with about 6 million planted trees as of 2015. In Iraq, the average annual yield is 73 kg per tree, although yields can often exceed 100 kg.[2] Other than Iraq, it is also grown in Djibouti, Chile, Peru, India, Iran, Israel, Palestine, and Syria.[1]

Zahidi date palms are also highly valued for landscaping.[2]

Etymology

Zahidi is the Arabic word for "ascetic." The name of the date cultivar may have also been derived from Zahidi in the Basra region of southern Iraq.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Al-Khayri, Jameel M.; Jain, Shri Mohan; Johnson, Dennis V., eds. (2015). Date Palm Genetic Resources and Utilization. Vol. 2. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9707-8. ISBN 978-94-017-9706-1.
  2. ^ a b Al-Khayri, Jameel M.; Jain, Shri Mohan; Johnson, Dennis V., eds. (2015). Date Palm Genetic Resources and Utilization. Vol. 1. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9694-1. ISBN 978-94-017-9693-4.
Categories