Details for: RPHO 1, Phoenix dactylifera L., 'Medjool'

Summary Data

Taxonomy:

Phoenix dactylifera L.

Cultivar:

'Medjool'

Origin:

Collected – Morocco

Maintained:

Natl. Germplasm Repository - Riverside

Received by NPGS:

May 1994

Improvement Status:

Cultivar

Form Received:

Plant

Life Form:

Tree

Life Habit:

Tree

Availability

Form	Quantity	Note	Inventory	Cart
Plant	1 count		RPHO 1 CVARS PL

Restrictions
Plant material may be subject to additional regulations
https://www.nationalplantboard.org/uploads/1/3/6/7/136771235/arizona_npb_summary_061124.pdf

USA – Arizona (See state regulation: Palm pests)

https://www.nationalplantboard.org/uploads/1/3/6/7/136771235/louisianas_laws_and_regulations_npb_website_april_2023_tp.pdf

USA – Louisiana (See state regulations: Lethal Yellowing Quarantine. )

https://www.nationalplantboard.org/uploads/1/3/6/7/136771235/nevada_state_regulations_npb_13december2023.pdf

USA – Nevada (See state regulation: Lethal yellowing of palm)

https://www.nationalplantboard.org/uploads/1/3/6/7/136771235/npb_ca_summary_2025_-_grkn_added.pdf

USA – California (See state regulation: Lethal yellowing of palm.)

https://www.nationalplantboard.org/uploads/1/3/6/7/136771235/texas_-plant_protection_regulations.pdf

USA – Texas (See state regulations: Lethal Bronzing of Palms, Lethal yellowing, red palm mite)

There are no images for this accession.

Core Passport Data

Taxonomy:

Phoenix dactylifera L.

Cultivar:

'Medjool'

Origin:

Collected – Morocco

Maintained:

Natl. Germplasm Repository - Riverside

Received by NPGS:

May 1994

Improvement Status:

Cultivar

Form Received:

Plant

Life Form:

Tree

Life Habit:

Tree

Source History

Collected

1929.
Errachidia Province, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco
Comment: Bou Denib. Only one importation of 11 offshoots of 'Medjool' occurred.
Collector(s):

Swingle, W.T., USDA - Bureau of Plant Industry

Developed

Morocco
Comment: 'Medjool' is throught to have originated in the Tafilet District of Morocco.

Donated

1936.
California, United States
Comment: Established at US Date Garden, Indio, Riverside County after post-entry quarantine in Nevada.
Donor(s):

Swingle, W.T., USDA - Bureau of Plant Industry

June 1994.
California, United States
Comment: Immediate source: Laflin Ranch, Mecca, Calif or Oasis Date Gardens, Thermal, (both Riverside County). Prior provenance unknown.
Donor(s):

Laflin, Ben, Oasis Date Gardens

Accession Names and Identifiers

'Medjool'

Type: Cultivar name

'Medjoul'

Type: Cultivar name

'Tafilalet'

Type: Cultivar name

C-1994-01

Type: Site identifier

Krueger, Robert USDA, ARS

RPHO 1

Type: Site identifier

Krueger, Robert USDA, ARS

Narrative

'Medjool' is a highly esteemed date cultivar. It is semi-dry, of a large size, and orange-yellow, ripening mid-season to reddish brown. The shape is broadly oblong-oval to somewhat ovate, with medium-thick flesh. Fruit quality is excellent, although a large degree of cultural manipulations are necessary for optimal quality. Moisture tolerant. The trees are robust, with short to medium-long leaves borne on a medium-heavy trunk, with high offshoot production. It is the second most important variety in USA and has become very important world-wide due to its production by tissue culture. Unfortunately, it has suffered a large amount of attrition in its native Morocco due to the ravages of the Bayoud disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f sp albidensis. It is not known how RPH 1 differs from the other 'Medjool' accessions at NCGRCD (RPHO 9, PI 74204). Presumably it is the same or very similar due to the fact that there was only one importation of 'Medjool'. However, some growers state that there are distinct lines of 'Medjool' and some suggestion in the literature that this variety is more plastic than most (see Devanand and Chao, 'Genetic variation withn 'Medjool' and 'Deglet Noor' date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars in California detected iby fluorescent-AFLP markers', J Hort Sci Biotechnol, 78:405-409, 2003). However, work by B Rangel at NCGRCD showed less variability than Dwvanand and Chao. (RRK, 10/2006)

Phoenix dactylifera L.

Genus:

Phoenix

Family:

Arecaceae (alt. Palmae)

Subfamily:

Coryphoideae

Tribe:

Phoeniceae

Nomen number:

28046

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:1188. 1753

Protologue link:

https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/359209

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

10/14/1999 by ARS Systematic Botanists.

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	date	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	date palm	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Arabic	nakhl	2	Norton, J. et al. 2009. Illustrated checklist of the flora of Qatar.
French	dattier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	palmier dattier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Dattelpalme	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese	tamareira	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	palmera datilera	2	Hackett, C. & J. Carolane. 1982. Edible Horticultural Crops Academic Press.
Swedish	dadelpalm	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Annotations