I first came across echam pazham, a wild date is known as Pheonix Humilis in Latin when starting Aranya, a 50-acre reforestation project in Auroville.

The sweet little dates were lovely to eat and were even sold on the side of the road by village ladies.

Later, I discovered that the stem of the leaf, which is very strong, was used for thatching, and we used it when we made our first kitchen at Solitude Farm. This small wild date grows up to 4 or 5 feet tall around here and is always found in hedges and uncultivated areas. It is surely home for many small animals, and I told it has religious importance too. There is little written about it on the net, and yet this wonderful plant grows around us and deserves our attention.