Synonyms: Kheir, El Their, El Khir
Origin: Saudi Arabia
Meaning: “WELFARE”
History: The Khir is an early-ripening soft date of some merit, and it has favorably impressed those who know it. It has not been seriously damaged by occasional rains and high humidity. The original offshoots from 1904 were kept in a greenhouse over winter in Arizona and planted out the following spring, part at Tempe and part at Mecca. There is no record that any offshoots survived with the exception of two, both bearing the label “Khir”. One palm at Indio (1-15-1905), is a descendant of the Mecca specimen, which has been dead for some years. A number of palms tracing back to Tempe 20-14 are growing in commercial date gardens in the Salt River Valley. Because of the confusion of the labels in the original importation and the lack of any descriptive data from the Old World, the identity of the variety is uncertain.