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Date Palms, FLORIDA: $8.50
Date Palms, FLORIDA: True date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) have a long history in Florida starting during the Spanish colonial period. French botanist André Michaux documented a large 40-foot fruiting date palm in St. Augustine in 1788. While the trees grow well for landscaping, Florida’s high humidity and summer rains prevent the fruit from ripening properly for commercial harvest.Spanish Colonial Beginnings- Spanish missionaries brought exotic fruit trees and agricultural crops to early Florida settlements.- Exact planting records are missing, but mature date palms were well-established by the late 1700s in coastal areas like St. Augustine.Exploration and 20th-Century Imports- Botanists noted that lower humidity spots like Key West offered slight promise for fruit maturation.- USDA plant explorers, including Dr. David Fairchild, later brought large shipments of Middle Eastern and North African date palm suckers to the United States in the early 1900s.- Commercial date farming ultimately shifted to arid regions like California and Arizona, leaving Florida\'s palms to serve a purely ornamental role.This White Border Era (1915-30) postcard is in good condition. C. T. American Art Company. No. 94212. Asheville Post Card Co. Asheville, N. C. No. 226.
