Phoenix dactylifera and P. sylvestris in Northwestern India: A Glimpse of their Complex Relationships.

Phoenix sylvestris has often been regarded as the wild progenitor of the cultivateddate palm Phoenix dactylifera. A genetic study recently discarded this hypothesis, suggesting however a possible occurrence of hybridization events during theexpansion of date palm cultivation. A sampling campaign was carried out in Northwestern India as a first step towards understanding the complex relationships between these two species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]