Date

The tree, like all palms, has a single growth point at the tip, so the removal of this terminal bud kills the tree. Starting at ground level, the plant grows a new section every year, with fresh leaves on top of the previous year’s section. The leaves live for an average of five years. Thus the tree consists of about five leafy sections on top of a stack of sections whose leaves have died, and this stack rises higher and higher away from the ground. The date palm is a long-lived tree and may eventually exceed 30 m (100') in height. However, commercial growers usually cut down their trees when they are 15 m (50') tall because of the difficulty in managing them, since they flower and fruit only at the top.