Palmetto

Sabal

Sabal Palms - all being hardy and adaptable; these Palms make their best growth on well drained deep fertile soil in full sun with adequate water while in growth. Resistant to most disease. Usually propagated from seed.

* photo of unknown internet source

* historic archive photo

Sabal bermudiana ( Bermuda Palmetto )
A very fast growing Palmetto Palm growing to 50 feet tall with a massive crown up to 30 feet across. Though it is native to only Bermuda; some trees have already grown huge. The 10 foot fronts are circular with 24 inch segments with a central section of 12 inches wide that is undivided. Foliage is very lush and blue-green. Tolerant of drought and limey soils - this Palm is hardy from zone 8 b to 11 and has been reported to grow in zone 7 as a perennial. This Palm defoliates at 6 F but may survive as low as - 3 F

Sabal 'Birmingham'
Large and fast growing hybrid. Reported to have survived - 11F with only 20 % leaf tip damage

Sabal blackburniana ( Hispanolian Palm )
With a clean gray trunk; this Palm grows to 85 feet tall with a crown to 20 feet wide and a diameter of 2 feet. The circular fronds are large( up to 9 feet across ), long stemmed and gray-green with an undivided central section. The leaflets are up to 40 inches long and 4 inches wide. This Palm is hardy from zone 9 to 10 but is known to survive to as low as 10 F

* historic archive photos

Sabal causiarum ( Puerto Rican Hat Palm )
Native to Hispanola and Puerto Rico; this palm is very fast growing with a gray trunk and reaches up to 60 feet tall; 20 feet wide and with a trunk diameter of up to 4 feet! It has a heavy crown of bright green fan shaped fronds; the leaves reaching up to 10 feet long. Each leaflet ( up to 60 of them ) can be up to 40 inches long and 5 inches wide. The white flowers are in sprays that can be up to 7 feet long and are followed by small black fruit. It is tolerant of dry conditions once established. Hardy from zone 8 to 12 and tolerates as low as 16 F. Salt tolerant.

Sabal domingensis
A large fan Palm from Hispanola that can grow to 100 feet tall with a trunk diameter up to 2 feet. The trunk can grow as fast as 2 feet or more in height in a year. It also has a heavy gray trunk but a more open crown of gray-green leaves and pear-shaped larger fruit than the similar S. causiarum. The flowers grow in sprays that are shorter than the 6 foot long leaves. Very tolerant of hot, dry inland regions and is hardy from zone 8 to 12 surviving as low as 4 F

Sabal etonia
A little known and rare shrub Palmetto reaching a maximum size of 8 x 10 ( rarely over 6 ) feet, that is hardy as far north as zone 7b.

* historic archive photo

Sabal louisiana
A natural hybrid shrub Palmetto growing to 8 feet tall and wide and can survive temperatures as low as 0 F

Sabal mauritiformis
A graceful palm native over a wide area from Columbia & Venezuela and north to Mexico. It is fast growing with a slender gray trunk and grows to 82 feet in height and up to 25 feet in width. The crown is somewhat open with drooping fan shaped bright green leaves that are blue-green below. The leaves are up to 6 feet across and are divided into up to 60 leaflets which can reach up to 40 x 4 inches in size. The sprays of flowers are longer than the leaves and are followed by black berries.
Hardy from zone 9 and south. This Palm can survive as low as 20 F

Sabal minor ( Dwarf Palmetto )
Living up to 400 years in age; this Palm usually remains a shrubby clump however sometimes it does develop a trunk above ground and can reach up to 28 feet tall with a crown up to 16 feet wide. Largest trunk diameter on record is 1.5 feet. Slow growing; only reaching up to 4 feet tall in 6 years. The leaves, up to 3 feet across, are blue-green, large and stiff splitting up into 20 to 30 narrow leaflets ( the center one being most prominent ).
The small creamy-white flowers are borne on erect sprays that emerge from the middle of the clump and is often taller than the foliage.
They are followed by rounded, glossy black berries.
It is hardy from zone 7 to 10 and is reported to tolerate as low as - 10 F.
It may survive zone 5 as a perennial though will certainly remain very small.
A clone from Oklahoma is the hardiest and there are reports of this palm surviving - 24 F in Kansas. Prefers a light, humus-rich, very well drained soil.
Propagation is from seed sown in spring.
The form from Texas hill country should be used in the sw. U.S.

* photos of unknown internet source



* photo taken on Oct 21 2014 @ U.S. Botanical Gardens, Washington, DC

* photo taken on Aug 24 2017 @ U.S. Botanic Garden, Wash. DC.

* historic archive photos

Sabal palmetto ( Cabbage Palm )
Native to the southeast U.S. from Louisiana to the coastal Carolinas and south; this Palm thrives unharmed by drought, fire, deer, salt and storms. It is usually slow growing but with ideal conditions can become fast growing and reach up to 6 feet in height in 1 1/2 years. With a bare trunk and leaves on top of long stalks; this Palm can reach up to 100 feet tall with a canopy up to 22 feet across and a trunk up to 2 feet in diameter. However usually much smaller where winters are cold. it has a large crown of blue-green leaves that are fan shaped and up to 8 feet long that are 2 /3 rds divided. The flower sprays are about the same length as the leaves and are made of small white flowers. The fruits are glossy and black. Hardy from zone 8 to 12 - a large Sabal palmetto has survived - 6 F in zone 7 Knoxville, Tennessee. It is reported to survive in Ocean City, Maryland but struggling.

* photos of unknown internet source








* historic archive photos

'Lisa'
* photo taken on Jan 3 2011 @ Deerfield Beach Arboretum, Florida


Sabal 'Riverside'
A hybrid originating in southern California that is hardy north to zone 8a

Sabal texana ( Texas Palmetto )
A very adaptable Palmetto which is native to Texas and northern Mexico. Reaching up to 70 feet tall; 36 feet in crown width with a thick trunk up to 3 feet across. A massive mature tree grows in cool wintered Dallas, Texas. This Palm has a crown of light green leaves with blades up to 6.6 feet long that are deeply divided with thread like filaments. The white flower sprays are equal in length to the leaves and are followed by large black berries.
Hardy from zone 7b to 11 and survives as low as 1 F.
Endangered; this Palm formerly grew wild on 40 000 acres in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. Only 32 acres are left. It is flood tolerant and very drought tolerant. This Palm is not prone to Lethal Yellowing Disease.

* historic archive photos

Sabal tamaulipas
A rare Palmetto native to extreme northwest Mexico and looks alot like Sabal minor but is much faster growing. It has no trunk and forms a clump with huge fan shape leaves up to 9 feet across.

Sabal uresana ( Sonoran Palmetto )
From northwest Mexico; this very beautiful Palm is fast growing and reaches up to 66 feet in height with a canopy up to 10 feet across. The 6 foot striking silvery fan shape leaves are deeply divided into very weeping segments. The flower sprays are about as long as the leaves and the fruits are brown. For warm temperate and subtropical regions; this Palm is very heat, cold and drought tolorant. Hardy from zone 8 to 12 ( possibly 7 ) it can tolorate 7 F with no damage. Adaptable and grows well in southeast U.S.