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Sabal mexicana

Common name:	Mexican Palmetto	Family:	Palmae
Author:	C.Mart.	Botanical references:	200, 229
Synonyms:	Sabal texana ((O.F.Cook.)Becc.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern N. America - Texas to Mexico and Guatemala.
Habitat:	Rich soil of the bottom lands near the coast[82].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Inodes exul[B,G,P] Inodes mexicana[G] Inodes texana[B,G,P] S. exul[B,P] S. mexicanum[E]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Palmetto, Texas [S], Rio Grande Palmetto [P,B], Texas Palmetto [S], Xan [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cana = grayed due to hairs
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arecales. Renamed to Arecaceae -- Palm family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Mexico(Maya)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 10m by 4m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By East Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

The fruit is a small dry berry up to 25mm in diameter, with a thin sweet flesh[229]. Although we have seen no records of edibility for this species, the following uses are for the related S. palmetto. They quite probably also apply here[K].

Fruit - raw or cooked[2]. Sweet and pleasant[2]. A nourishing food, though it is said to be an acquired taste[2]. The fruit is up to 12mm long and 3mm wide[200].
Young leaves - raw or cooked. An excellent food[2].
Sap - sweet[2].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Basketry Fibre Tannin Thatching.

The leaves are used for making baskets, chair seats or thatch[229].

The following reports are for S. palmetto. They quite probably also apply to this species[K].

An excellent fibre is obtained from the leaf stalks[171]. 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[171]. 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[171].
The roots contain tannin[171].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most fertile moist but well-drained soils in a sheltered sunny position[188, 200, 231]. 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[231].
Plants from the north of its range (in Texas) have a reasonably marginal frost-tolerance and might be suitable for growing outdoors in the very mildest areas of the country[231].
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[231]. 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[231]. 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[231].
A very variable plant in the wild[231].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at not less than 24° c[188]. 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[138]. 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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Sabal mexicanum (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Sabal texana (a possible synonym).

[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[231] McMillan-Browse. P. Palms for Cooler Climates. Trebah Enterprises. 1993 ISBN 0 9521952 0 8
An excellent little booklet on the subject, though it does not mention many plant uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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