Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small

Saw Palmetto

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Saw Palmetto is a native perennial shrub or small tree in the Palm family (Arecaceae). It can be found in the southern third of Alabama. Saw Palmetto occurs in longleaf pinelands, on dunes, on river terraces, and in scrub forests. It is a perennial with a tough, fibrous trunk covered in the old leaf bases. The plant is unbranched and often creeping. Plants are from 1-9 feet in height. Leaves are petiolate with the petiole armed with fine teeth along its margins. The blade is fan shaped and plicate (folded like a paper fan). Flowers are produced in panicles at the bases of the leaves. Flowers are small, bisexual, and greenish white in color. The fruit is a drupe. Saw Palmetto is very drought and salt tolerant once established. It is often used in landscaping near the coast and is available from many nurseries. The fruit of Saw Palmetto are an important food for Black Bear, White-tailed Deer, and other animals. They are also collected by humans for the extraction of a steroidal drug that is used for prostrate health and to prevent baldness.--A. Diamond

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Native FACU (NWPL)

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