Sabal palmetto

Sabal palmetto gets its name from the Spanish word palmito or small palm. It is the state tree of North Carolina and Florida. Historically the large leaf buds of the Sabal palmetto were used in a cabbage-like salad. Harvesting of the terminal bud could kill the palm. The palm is also a source of delicious dark-amber honey. It is frequently used for landscape plantings. Sabal palmetto is native to U.S. and is in the Arecaceae (Palm Family).
Photo Credit: © Randolph Femmer (NBII LIFE)
Sabal palmetto
Common Name: cabbage palmetto
Plant Functional Group: Evergreen broadleaf
Class > Order > Family: Magnoliopsida > Arecales > Arecaceae
What does the species look like? Sabal palmetto, or cabbage palmetto , is a perennial, evergreen palm tree that can grow up to 90 feet high at maturity. The bark of cabbage palmetto is grayish to brownish, and its foliage is gray-green and fan-shaped. The palm sheds its older leaves as new leaves emerge. It has showy, fragrant, yellowish-white flowers and an abundance of shiny, black, fleshy fruits (drupes) that each contain one hard, brown seed. Cabbage palmetto grows along coastal wetlands in marshes and on sandy shores, wet hammocks, riverbanks, and coastal woodlands. It prefers sun or part shade and tolerates a variety of soils. It has low tolerance to drought but is salt and cold tolerant. Cabbage palmetto fruits and foliage provide food and cover for small and large mammals, terrestrial birds, insects, and even other plants. The flowers are pollinated by bees and other insects and are dispersed by water, wind, birds, and mammals.
Where is the species found?
States & Provinces
AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC
Which phenophases should I observe?
Do you see...?
Flowers Flowers or flower buds
One or more fresh open or unopened flowers or flower buds are visible on the plant. Include flower buds or inflorescences that are swelling or expanding, but do not include those that are tightly closed and not actively growing (dormant). Also do not include wilted or dried flowers.
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How many flowers and flower buds are present? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), simply estimate the number of flower heads, spikes or catkins and not the number of individual flowers.

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Open flowers
One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers.
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What percentage of all fresh flowers (buds plus unopened plus open) on the plant are open? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), estimate the percentage of all individual flowers that are open.

  • Less than 5%
  • 5-24%
  • 25-49%
  • 50-74%
  • 75-94%
  • 95% or more
Fruits Fruits
One or more fruits are visible on the plant. For Sabal palmetto, the fruit is fleshy and berry-like and changes from green to black-brown or black.
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How many fruits are present?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Ripe fruits
One or more ripe fruits are visible on the plant. For Sabal palmetto, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned black-brown or black.
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What percentage of all fruits (unripe plus ripe) on the plant are ripe?

  • Less than 5%
  • 5-24%
  • 25-49%
  • 50-74%
  • 75-94%
  • 95% or more
Recent fruit or seed drop
One or more mature fruits or seeds have dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit. Do not include obviously immature fruits that have dropped before ripening, such as in a heavy rain or wind, or empty fruits that had long ago dropped all of their seeds but remained on the plant.
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How many mature fruits have dropped seeds or have completely dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
What do these phenophases look like?

There is currently no photoguide available for this species. If you'd like help us create one, use the guidance document and species template provided here. Then send it via email to education@usanpn.org when it is complete.

USDA PLANTS profile for cabbage palmetto (USDA Symbol: SAPA )