Saw Palmetto
Serenoa repens

Family: Arecaceae or Palmae

What it is like

Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Palm.

Serenoa repens is an evergreen Shrub growing to 3 m (9ft) by 2 m (6ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). 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 and can grow in saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Height (m): 3

Where it is found

Low pine woods, savannahs and thickets, where it often forms substantial thickets. Also found on coastal sand dunes.

South-eastern N. America - South Carolina to Florida, west to Arkansas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweet flavour but with a soapy taste and a strong vanilla-like aroma. Regular consumption of the fruit is supposed to be very beneficial to the health, improving the digestion and helping to increase weight and strength. Seed - raw or cooked.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 3

Saw palmetto berries are a tonic herb that is used in the treatment of debility, urinary tract problems and for reducing enlarged prostate glands. The partially dried ripe fruit is aphrodisiac, urinary antiseptic, diuretic, expectorant, sedative and tonic. It is taken internally in the treatment of impotence, debility in elderly men, prostate enlargement and inflammation, bronchial complaints associated with coldness, and wasting diseases. Saw palmetto is one of the few Western herbs that are considered to be anabolic (strengthening and building body tissue and encouraging weight gain). The fruit pulp, or a tincture, is given to those suffering from wasting disease, general debility and failure to thrive. The fruit also has a beneficial effect on the urinary system, helping to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate gland and strengthening the neck of the bladder. The fruit has a probable oestrogenic action, it is prescribed in the treatment of impotence, reduced or absent sex drive and testicular atrophy in men and to stimulate breast enlargement in women. The fruit is also used in the treatment of colds, coughs, irritated mucous membranes, asthma etc. A suppository of the powdered fruits, in cocoa butter, has been used as a uterine and vaginal tonic. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Serenoa repens Saw Palmetto for prostatic complaints, irritable bladder.

Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Sedative: Gently calms, reducing nervousness, distress and irritation.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Urinary: Treats urinary problems, including urinary tract infection (UTI).

Uterine tonic: A tonic for the uterus. See also oxytoxic.

Other

Rating:

The leaf stems have been used in making baskets. The plant has been used to make brushes and cordage.

Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.

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

String: Plants that can be used for string or can be easily made into a string. See also Fibre. Plants for ropes may be included.

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Border, Erosion control, Ground cover, Massing, Specimen, Woodland garden. Requires a warm sunny position in a moist but well-drained soil. Plants can succeed in quite dry soils so long as their roots can penetrate to underground water. Growing mainly in coastal areas in its native range, this species is likely to be very tolerant of maritime exposure, though not of cold winds. This species is one of the hardiest of palms and succeeds outdoors in warm temperate zones. It is only likely to be marginally hardy, even in the mildest areas of Britain, and probably tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. 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. Palms 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. Plants usually sucker freely in the wild and form dense thickets. Special Features: Attractive foliage, North American native, Attracts butterflies, Fragrant flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms.

Propagating it: The seed is best sown in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. It usually germinates freely. Stored seed is more difficult to germinate, it should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water before sowing in a warm greenhouse. When 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. Although the plant forms suckers, these do not usually transplant well and so seed is the only sure method of propagation.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 8-11

Growth: Slow

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Avoid with other hormonal drugs. Avoid during pregnancy and lactation. Take with food. Rare adverse effects include: mild headache and gastrointestinal symptoms. May decrease libido in males. Possible back pain and blood pressure increase .

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Brahea serrulata. Chamaerops serrulata. Corypha obliqua. Serenoa serrulata