https://phys.org/news/2019-01-genomic-history-north-african-date.html

To solve the mystery of the origin of North African date palms, the researchers at NYUAD, and working with colleagues from NYU in New York and researchers in Greece, France, Switzerland, and the UK, sequenced the genomes of a large sample of date palms from Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, as well as palms from related but distinct wild species. The genome analysis found that hybridization between date palms and P. theophrasti, a species known as the Cretan wild palm found in the Eastern Mediterranean, is the source of the mixed ancestry and genetic distinction of North African date palms.

The researchers have shown that 5-18% of the North African date palm genome is derived from the Cretan wild palm. The hybridization of Middle East varieties with wild Phoenix theophrasti has led to increased genetic diversity in North African date palms compared to date palms from the Middle East. The hybridization with P. theophrasti may also lead to new genes being introduced to cultivated date palms that could help in providing better date palm varieties, including for disease resistance and yield.