Studies of anatomical and physical properties of date palm stem wood (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Palm tree belongs to the Aceraceae family which consists of hundreds of species. Most economically important species are date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Being monocotyledons, palm trees show distinct differences of the wood structure compared to common wood species. This study aimed to evaluate the anatomical and physical properties of date palm stem such as number, diameter, area, and percentage of vascular bundles (VBs), wood density and, moisture content in different stem zones; from the peripheral to the inner zone, and at different stem heights from the base to the top of the stem. The results indicated that the density and frequency of vascular bundles increase from the inner to the peripheral zones of the stem, thus the diameter and area of VB decrease from the first to the third zones. The density of VB in peripheral zone also decreases from the bottom to the top of the stem. In addition, it has been increased in the central and inner zones. In the peripheral and central zones, the VB are numerous and smaller in diameter. The inner zone is the broadest; the bundles reach their highest diameter. The fiber tissue percent is higher in the peripheral zone from the top of the stem (35%) than in the inner zone from the base (26%).