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Sabal palmetto

Common name:	Cabbage Palmetto	Family:	Palmae
Author:	(Walter.)Schult.& Schult.f.	Botanical references:	82, 200, 229
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-eastern N. America - North Carolina to Florida.
Habitat:	Brackish marshes, seacoast woodlands or hammocks and sandy soils near the coast[229].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Corypha palmetto[B,G,P] Inodes palmetto[G] Inodes schwarzii[B,P] S. jamesiana[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cabbage Palmetto [P,B,DEN1,H,FEIS],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arecales. Renamed to Arecaceae -- Palm family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Bahamas

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 6m by 4m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower in June, and the seeds ripen from October to December. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 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

Fruit Leaves Sap.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2]. Sweet and pleasant[2]. A small dry berry up to 12mm in diameter, with a thin sweet flesh[229]. A nourishing food, though it is said to be an acquired taste[2].
Young leaves - raw or cooked[171]. An excellent food[2]. The large succulent leaf buds are cooked and eaten as a vegetable[82].
Sap - sweet[2].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Febrifuge.

The berries or seeds have been used in the treatment of grass sickness, low fever, headaches and weight loss[257].

Other Uses

Brush Fibre Tannin Weaving Wood.

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[82, 171].
Pieces of the spongy bark of the stem are used as a substitute for scrubbing brushes[82].
The leaves are woven to make coarse hats, mats and baskets[82].
The roots contain about 10% tannin[171]. This has been harvested commercially in the past but there is not really enough tannin for profitable extraction[171].
Wood - light and soft[82]. The trunks are used to make wharf piles, whilst polished cross-sections of the trunk have been used as small table tops[82]. The wood is also largely manufactured into canes[82].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most fertile moist but well-drained soils in a sheltered sunny position[188, 200, 231]. This species usually grows close to the coast and is tolerant of salt spray[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].
This palm tolerates short-lived freezes down to about -10° c and can be grown outdoors in the very mildest areas of the country[231].
This species has been designated the state tree of Florida[229].
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

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[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.
[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
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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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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