Common Name: Cabbage Palmetto

General Information

Sabal palmetto is a single-stemmed, evergreen palm tree that can grow 6 - 20 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 20 - 35cm in diameter; it is topped with a crown of 15 - 30 fan-shaped leaves[, ].
The plant has a wide range of traditional uses for the indigenous people, supplying food, medicines and materials for building, making baskets, weaving etc. It is little used nowadays. The tree is widely planted as an ornamental[].
Sabal palmetto has a very wide range, a large area of occupancy, and there is a lack of any significant threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

South-eastern N. America - North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama; Caribbean - Bahamas, Cuba

Habitat

Brackish marshes, seacoast woodlands or hammocks and sandy soils near the coast[]. From coastal dunes and tidal flats to river banks and seasonally inundated savannahs, often in disturbed vegetation, at elevations near sea level[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A species of the warm temperate to tropical zones, it succeeds in moist tropical climates with an annual rainfall of 1,500mm or more[]. It tolerates short-lived freezes down to about -10°c[].
Succeeds in most fertile moist but well-drained soils in a sheltered sunny position[, , ]. This species usually grows close to the coast and is tolerant of salt spray[]. Plants can tolerate at least some maritime exposure with salt spray and somewhat saline soil conditions[]. Although it prefers a humid atmosphere, this species is tolerant of arid atmospheres so long as it has plenty of moisture available at the roots[].
The plants can flower and produce fruit whist they still have little or no above ground stem[].
This species has been designated the state tree of Florida[].
Palms usually have deep penetrating root systems and generally establish best when planted out at a young stage. However, older plants are substantially more cold tolerant than juvenile plants[]. In areas at the limit of their cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for some years, giving them winter protection, and only planting them into their permanent positions when sheer size dictates[]. This species can also be transplanted even when very large. Although the thick fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or desiccated, new roots are generally freely produced. It is important to stake the plant very firmly to prevent rock, and also to give it plenty of water until re-established - removing many of the leaves can also help[].
A very variable plant in the wild[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. Sweet and pleasant, but with a slight bitter aftertaste[, ]. Prune-like in flavour[]. A small dry berry up to 12mm in diameter, with a thin sweet flesh[, ]. A nourishing food, though it is said to be an acquired taste[].

Young leaves and apical bud - raw or cooked[, ]. An excellent food[]. The large, white, crisp, succulent leaf buds are cooked and eaten as a vegetable[, ]. A delicacy[]. The flavour is somewhat like cabbage[]. Harvesting this bud will cause the death of the plant because it is unable to produce side shoots[].

The pith of the upper trunk is chewed for the sweetish juice, made into a pumpkin-like pie or boiled with raisins as a pudding[].

The ashes of the plant are used as a salt substitute[].

Sap - sweet[].

Medicinal

The berries and seeds have been used in the treatment of grass sickness, low fever, headaches and weight loss[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

The flowers are a good source of nectar for bees[].

Other Uses

An excellent fibre is obtained from the leaf stalks[]. The best quality is from young leaf stalks still in the bud, whilst coarser material is obtained from older leaves or the bases of old leaf stalks surrounding the bud[]. The fibres are up to 50cm long, they are harvested commercially and used to make brushes, especially where these have to remain stiff in hot water or caustics[, ].

Pieces of the spongy bark of the stem are used as a substitute for scrubbing brushes[].

The leaves are used for thatching and are also woven to make coarse hats, mats and baskets[, , ].

The roots contain about 10% tannin[]. This has been harvested commercially in the past but there is not really enough tannin for profitable extraction[].

The wood is light, soft, resistant to water[, ]. The trunks are used to make wharf piles, whilst polished cross-sections of the trunk have been used as small table tops[, ]. The wood is also largely manufactured into canes[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at not less than 24°c[]. Stored seed is very slow to germinate. Pre-soaking the seed for 24 hours in warm water prior to sowing may shorten the germination time. Plants form a long tap-root some time before forming a shoot. Germination of fresh seed usually takes place in 3 - 4 months at 25°c[]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors.

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