Phoenix is a
genus of 14
species of
palms,
native to the
Canary Islands east across northern and central
Africa, the extreme southeast of
Europe (
Crete), and southern
Asia from
Turkey east to southern
China and
Malaysia. The diverse habitats they occupy include
swamps,
deserts, and
mangrove sea coasts. Most
Phoenix species originate in
semiarid regions, but usually occur near high
groundwater levels, rivers, or
springs. The genus is unusual among members of the subfamily
Coryphoideae, with it and
Arenga being the only ones with
pinnate, rather than
palmate leaves. The generic name derives from (
phoinix) or (
phoinikos), the Greek word for the date palm used by Theophrastus and Pliny the Elder. It most likely referred to the Phoenicians;
Phoenix, the son of Amyntor and Cleobule in Homer's
Iliad; or the
phoenix, the
sacred bird of Ancient Egypt. The palms were more numerous and widespread in the past than they are at present.