Also known as cabbage palm, cabbage palmetto, Caroline palmetto, Garfield’s tree and swamp cabbage, this evergreen tree is native to the Bahamas, Cuba, and the coastal plain of the East Coast from North Caroline to Florida where it grows in pine woodlands, hammocks, and riverbanks. A member of the palm family, Arecaceae, the plant grows up to 65′ tall and has a single gray trunk that is composed of the remains of leaf petioles in its upper regions. The gray-green, fan-shaped leaves are carried on 3-6′ long petioles and are 3-4′ long. Each leaf consists of numerous leaflets palmately arranged on a midrib that extends into the blade far enough to cause the blade to curve. In late spring, large compound panicles up to 8′ long appear extending beyond the leaves, and carry thousands of tiny, creamy-white, fragrant flowers that are attractive to bees. In late summer, one-seeded, fleshy black fruits appear that are about 1/2″ long and attractive to birds and small mammals. Sabal pond is resistant to fire, floods, high winds, salt spray and drought but needs hot humid summers to thrive and appreciates light watering and regular fertilizing. It is a good choice for coastal, rain, wildlife, and native plant gardens. The terminal bud is eaten as “heart of palm”. The genus name, Sabal, is of uncertain origin but may be from be from a South American or Mexican name. The specific epithet, palmetto, is the diminutive of the Spanish word palma, meaning small palm.
Type: Evergreen tree
Outstanding Feature: Foliage
Form: Rounded canopy
Growth Rate: Slow at first but rapid with maturity
Bloom: Panicles of thousands of tiny, creamy-white, fragrant flowers in early summer
Size: 40-65′ H x 10-15′ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Sandy to average, moist, well drained
Hardiness: Zones 8-11
Care: Water lightly, fertilize regularly
Pests and Diseases: palmetto weevil (Rhynchophorus cruentatus), Ganoderma butt rot, Thielaviopsis trunk rot, Texas phoenix palm declinel lethal bronzing disease
Propagation: Seed
Outstanding Selections: ‘Lisa’
Photo Credit Zeeth Wikipedia
Karen Meyers