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Canary Island Date Palm

Phoenix canariensis · Arecaceae
20m
Mature height
1
Councils: no permit needed
4
Councils: exempt under a height limit
15
Councils: permit required
Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) growing in Sydney
Canary Island Date Palm · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Canary Island Date Palm is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.

How to identify it

A very thick trunk patterned with diamond shaped old frond scars, topped by a massive crown of long stiff fronds. The lower leaflets on each frond are modified into rigid spines capable of serious puncture injuries.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted as a feature palm in older gardens and streetscapes across the Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Bayside, Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown.

Common problems

  • Frond base spines cause deep puncture wounds and infections
  • Extremely heavy fronds and fruit that fall from height
  • Host for Fusarium wilt and the palm weevil in some areas
  • Very heavy trunk sections that require machinery to move

What removal involves

Exempt in Willoughby under 7m of trunk, Lane Cove under 6m, Georges River under 6m and Canterbury-Bankstown under 4m of trunk, and on the Northern Beaches at any size as part of the general palm exemption. Note that several councils measure trunk height, not overall height. Physically one of the heaviest palms to remove, and the spines make it a genuine injury risk.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Exempt under 7m
Exempt only below 7m in trunk height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Lane Cove
Exempt under 6m
Exempt only below 6m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Exempt under 6m
Exempt only below 6m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Exempt under 4m
Exempt only below 4m in trunk height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
The council says under 6m. Does that include the fronds?

Read the wording carefully. Willoughby measures trunk height rather than overall height, and Canterbury-Bankstown measures trunk at under 4m. Lane Cove and Georges River set 6m limits. The difference between trunk and overall height often decides whether a permit is needed.

Are the spines really dangerous?

Yes. Phoenix palm spines cause deep puncture wounds that frequently become infected and can drive splinters into joints. This is not a DIY palm.

Commonly confused with

Cocos Palm
Both feather palms, but Canary Island has vicious frond spines and a far heavier trunk

Related species

Cocos Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) growing in Sydney
Cocos Palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana
Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens) growing in Sydney
Golden Cane Palm
Dypsis lutescens
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Jebulon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Phoenix canariensis
Also known as
Phoenix Palm
Family
Arecaceae
Origin
Canary Islands
Mature height
10m to 20m
Canopy spread
8m to 12m
Growth rate
Slow
Foliage
Evergreen pinnate fronds with sharp basal spines
Typical lifespan
100 years plus
Root habit
Dense fibrous mass
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