The paper aims to understand the storage characteristics of seeds, which is essential for the development of germplasm conservation strategies. To address the problems of high moisture content of Phoenix canariensis seeds at maturity and their susceptibility to mold after harvesting, freshly dispersed diaspores were dried in silica gel to different moisture contents and stored at 4 ℃ and 15 ℃ for 1, 3 and 6 months, and the germination of seeds under drying and storage at different temperatures were determined to determine the desiccation tolerance and storage behavior of seeds. The results showed that the seed germination percentage increased from 76.0% to 92.9% when the moisture content was reduced from 53.79% to 8.0% at the time of natural dispersal. Seed embryos did not show growth during storage at either temperature. The seed germination percentage decreased significantly after 6 months of storage and seeds were susceptible to mold when stored at 4 ℃. The seeds were tolerant of low temperatures and seed survival was significantly higher after short-term storage at 4 ℃ than at 15 ℃, i.e. P. canariensis seeds were orthodox.