Sabal palmetto

cabbage palm, sabal palm

Arecaceae (Palmae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

palm

Size:

to 100 ft tall by 10 to 20 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

brown,black

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms spring-summer. Fruits ripen late summer-fall. Life span 100+ yrs (Nelson 2003)

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Interesting Foliage, Interesting Bark

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or in a hurricane resistant grove.

Considerations:

Fronds and flower stalks fall. Seeds sprout readily and can require control. In southern part of the state, strangler figs can sprout in the boots and eventually overwhelm the palm.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---- to ---- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds, Bats, Mammals

Larval host plant for Monk Skipper ( Asbolis capucinus ) butterfly.





Pollinated by bees.

Seeds used by small mammals such as raccoons. Used by birds for nesting.





Dead palm fronds -- roosting habitat for yellow bats.  Their yellowish color blends in with the color of the fronds and makes them almost invisible. The dead palm fronds hanging down below the live leaves, serve as one of their favorite roost sites. It is almost impossible to see them since they hide so well and the color of their fur blends right in with the dead palm fronds.

Native Habitats:

flatwoods, moist hammocks, swamps, river floodplains, ruderal