Sabal palmetto (Walter) Lodd. ex Schult. & Schult. f.

Cabbage Palmetto; Cabbage Palm

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

Cabbage Palmetto is a tree-like evergreen perennial in the Palm family (Arecaceae). It is doubtfully native to Alabama except perhaps in the Mobile Delta region. Cabbage Palmetto is widely planted as an ornamental and has escaped in the southern half of the state. Cabbage Palmetto occurs along roadsides, in urban woodlots, in secondary forests, in vacant lots, and along streams and rivers. It is tree-like in appearance with a single unbranched trunk up to 30 feet in height. The trunk is ringed, becoming smooth with age. Leaves form a terminal crown. The trunk immediately below the leafy crown is covered with dead leaves or leaf bases. The leaves are petiolate, costapalmate (fan-shaped with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade), and plicate (folded like a paper fan). The leaves are up to 3 feet long and are evergreen. Flowers are produced in axillary panicles with 3-4 orders of branching. Individual flowers have a 3 lobed, cup-shaped calyx and 3 greenish yellow petals. The fruit is a black, spherical drupe. Cabbage Palmetto fruit are consumed by Black Bears, Racoons, Gray Squirrels, and many species of birds. Cabbage Palmetto is a popular ornamental, especially near the coast. It is tolerant of drought, poor soil, salt spray, high winds, and flooding. It is available from many nurseries in south Alabama. The common name refers to the harvesting of the terminal bud as a vegetable. It is said to taste like cabbage when cooked. This practice is discouraged as it kills the tree. Cabbage Palmetto leaves are collected in certain areas to be woven into mats or screens. The trunks are resistant to sea-worms and have been used for pilings for docks and bridges. Cabbage Palmetto is the state tree of South Carolina.--A. Diamond

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Native FAC (NWPL)

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