The Date Palm Tree (also known as "Phoenix dactylifera") will give up to 75 kilos of dates per year and its life is estimated to 400 years.

It is a dioecious palm, which means the gender is defined. Some are male palms and some are female palms with a single trunk.

The female palms will produce the dates, while the males produce the pollen that will pollinate the palm tree. Thus, the fruits will ripen correctly and have seeds. The plant reaches up to 30 meters in height and 20cm to 50cm in diameter.

The fruit bunches are harvested from the ground, with short ladders, until the palms are 10 to 15 years old.

Dates have been cultivated in The Middle East and The Indus River Valley of India for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence shows date cultivation in Arabia from The 6th Millennium BCE.

The total annual world production of dates amounts to 8.5 million metric tons.

Today, countries of The Middle East and North Africa are the largest producers and consumers of the date palm.