Northern Africa and the Middle East. It should be noted that Terral et al. (2012) indicate that any true native range is difficult to pinpoint since the plant has been cultivated for so long and no true wild population can be found.
Phoenix dactylifera, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. It is difficult to determine the point of origin because it has been cultivated for so long, however, it probably originated in North Africa or the Middle East. The species is widely cultivated and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. There is some question as to which variety is invasive in California (no documentation) as well as whether the plant is purely Phoenix dactylifera; in the Canary Islands, a many date palms studied contained both P. canariensis and P. dactylifera genes (Gonzalez-Perez and Sosa 2010).
Commonly cultivated for date production and sold as an ornamental in California and Arizona. Introduced to the southern California desert region for date production.