DATE FLOATING ABILITY: ADAPTATION TO REGIONS WITH FLOODS

The geographic origin of date palms is unknown. Macrophotography and photomicroscopy were used to observe the structure and ability of the endocarp, whole fruit, or endocarp covered seed to float. We have found that the ripe fruit of dry fibrous low sugar varieties such as ‘Degla Beida’ can float on water. Soft high sugar or semi dry Bayoud-susceptible varieties, including the commercially important ‘Deglet Noor’ and ‘Majhool’, first sink but later are buoyed up by gases they produce before finally sinking again. Gas production by submerged fruit that would otherwise not float thus represents a characteristic varietal adaptation for seed dispersal suited to environments close to bodies of water or which are periodically flooded.