FNPS Plant Database

Sabal palmetto

cabbage palm, sabal palm
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ron Ditchall
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

cabbage palm, sabal palm

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Sabal palmetto

Family:

Arecaceae (Palmae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

Palm

Size:

to 100 ft tall by 10–20 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.

Availability:

Quality Nurseries, Native Nurseries, Specialty Provider

Propagation:

Can be transplanted as an adult, usually obtained from land being cleared. Source can be a conservation concern Also grows from seed. Plants larger than seedlings but too small to have a trunk are difficult to transplant.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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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

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

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

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

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

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The large growing tips can be eaten and are said to taste like cabbage, BUT harvesting the growing tip kills the tree.

General Comments:

Designated as the Florida State Tree. Trees on coastal islands in the Big Bend area are failing to reproduce due to sea level rise, and islands in the marshes are getting progressively smaller. Does not produce wood with annual rings like most trees. It lives as a shrub for ten years or more until its trunk has achieved enough girth before it starts adding height. Its trunk will not add girth once this happens and palms do not have the ability to heal wounds or gouges in the trunk--so be careful with your palms.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Burns, Russell M, and Barbara H. Honkala [Technical coordinators]. (1990). Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). Accessed 2026.


Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Cabbage Palm [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Sabapalm ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Miller, Jono. (2023). The Palmetto Book. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Watkins, John and Thomas Sheehan. (1975). Florida Landscape Plants, Native and Exotic. University Presses of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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