Cabbage Palmetto, Blue Palmetto, Common Palmetto
Sabal palmetto

Family: Arecaceae or Palmae

What it is like

Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Palm, Upright or erect.

Sabal palmetto is an evergreen Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower in June, and the seeds ripen from October to December. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Brackish marshes, seacoast woodlands or hammocks and sandy soils near the coast.

South-eastern N. America - North Carolina to Florida.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit - raw or cooked. Sweet and pleasant. 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 - raw or cooked. An excellent food. The large succulent leaf buds are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Sap - sweet.

Sap: usually of trees and usually but not always used as a drink.

Medicine

Rating: 1

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

Analgesic: Relieves pain.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Other

Rating: 3

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 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. Wood - light and soft. 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.

Brush: Used for cleaning clothes, as a paintbrush etc.

Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Weaving: Items such as grass and palm leaves that are woven together for making mats, baskets etc. See also Basket making and Fibre.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Pest tolerant, Massing, Seashore, Specimen, Street tree. 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. 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. This palm tolerates short-lived freezes down to about -10°c and can be grown outdoors in the very mildest areas of the country. 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. Special Features: Attracts birds, North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Blooms are very showy.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; East Wall. By. South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 8-11

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Corypha palmetto Walter. Inodes schwarzii O.F. Cook. Sabal jamesiana Small