Sabal palmetto

(Walter) Loddiges ex Schultes & Schultes f.

in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 7(2):1487. 1830.

Common names: Cabbage-palm palmetto chou palmiste
Illustrated
Basionym: Corypha palmetto Walter Fl. Carol., 119. 1788
Synonyms: Chamaerops palmetto (Walter) Michaux Corypha palma W. Bartram Inodes palmetto (Walter) O. F. Cook Sabal jamesiana Small
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22. Treatment on page 109.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator:

Copyright:

Stems usually aerial, 20–35 cm diam. Leaves 15–30, strongly costapalmate, bearing threadlike fibers between segments; hastula acute to acuminate, 5.3–18 cm; segments 55–120 × 2.5–4.2 cm; apices bifid2-cleft. Inflorescences with 3 orders of branching (not counting main inflorescence axis), arching, equaling or exceeding leaves in length. Flowers 4.1–6.7 mm. Fruits black, spheroid, length 8–13.8 mm, diam. 8.1–13.9 mm. Seeds 4–7 mm, diam. 5.4–9.7 mm diam. 2n = 36.


Phenology: Flowering spring–summer (northern part of range) or year around (southern part of range).
Habitat: Hammocks, pinelands, river banks, dunes, tidal flats
Elevation: 0–40 m

Distribution

V22 323-distribution-map.jpg

Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C., West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba).

Discussion

Sabal palmetto grows in a variety of habitats, from pine and oak associations to coastal dunes and to coastal marshes (K. E. Brown 1976; S. Zona 1990). Like S. minor, it is polymorphic at the extremes of its range; however, differences in stature, size, and trunk characteristics are not of a magnitude to warrant taxonomic rank. In the pine rocklands of Dade County, Florida, S. palmetto may flower and fruit with little or no aboveground trunk.

Although Sabal palmetto is a moderately important honey plant, its greatest economic use is as an ornamental.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Sabal palmetto"
Scott Zona +
(Walter) Loddiges ex Schultes & Schultes f. +
Corypha palmetto +
Cabbage-palm +, palmetto +  and chou palmiste +
Fla. +, Ga. +, N.C. +, S.C. +, West Indies (Bahamas +  and Cuba). +
0–40 m +
Hammocks, pinelands, river banks, dunes, tidal flats +
Flowering spring–summer (northern part of range) or year around (southern part of range). +
in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. +
brown1976a +
Illustrated +
Chamaerops palmetto +, Corypha palma +, Inodes palmetto +  and Sabal jamesiana +
Sabal palmetto +
species +