A Long-Term Assessment of the Use of Phoenix theophrasti Greuter (Cretan Date Palm): The Ethnobotany and Archaeobotany of a Neglected Palm

Most research on the plant genus Phoenix has focused on Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) due to its worldwide economic importance. Comparatively less attention has been devoted to other species within this genus that are also socio-economically important at a local scale, such as Phoenix theophrasti (Cretan date palm). The aim of this paper is to bring focus to this "forgotten" palm through an ethnobotanical survey of its uses by present-day traditional Cretan populations, a review of the archaeological and archaeobotanical evidence of its prehistoric use, and the development of a phytolith key to differentiate among phytoliths produced by P. theophrasti and other palms present in the Mediterranean region. Ethnobotanical data shows that traditional Cretan populations use several parts of P. theophrasti in a variety of ways, including food, weaving, and making spoons. Moreover, and despite a virtual absence of P. theophrasti in the archaeobotanical record, iconographic and textual (Linear B) evidence suggests that this plant may have been used in Crete in Minoan times (c. 3650-1100 BC). The statistical analysis of the morphometric data from phytoliths produced in modern P. theophrasti palms shows significant differences among fruit and leaf phytoliths. The results further show that P. theophrasti phytoliths can be distinguished from those produced by other palms present in the Mediterranean region when both metric and non-metric parameters are considered. Phytolith analyses have, therefore, great potential for identifying past socio-economic uses of P. theophrasti.