Date Palm Is Blooming in the Conservatory

The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, is blooming in the conservatory at Matthaei Botanical Gardens.  See photo below.

The date palm is another species of plant that is "dioecious" - that is, an individual plant is male or female.  Thus if a plant is male it has only male flowers and if female it has only female flowers. Our plant is a male. To have fruits produced we would have to have a female plant in the conservatory which would have fruits if pollinated by this male.  Male plants never produce fruits.

Technically, the photo is of the inflorescence made up of hundreds of male flowers.