Pronunciation: suh-BALL/SAY-bull cawz-ee-AIR-um
Common Name: Puerto Rican Hat Palm; Puerto Rican Palmetto
Sabal causiarum is a very good palm for many areas of California, though its tendency to develop some Potassium deficiency seems to make it less than ideal in some California soils. It is a massive palm that develops a concrete like trunk eventually.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary with a crown of 30-40 costapalmate leaves
- Height: 40'
- Trunk: single; 18"-24" in diameter; smooth and pale, or with retained, split, leaf bases (more commonly seen in arid climates)
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 16'
- Leaf Description: strongly costapalmate; 10'-12' long; leaf blade up to 5' long and nearly as wide; divided to 1/3 its length; distal leaflets drooping; dark green to nearly blue-green in color
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 6' long; unarmed by very sharp edges; leaf bases split; often retained on trunk, sometimes its entire height in California, until palm fully mature; light green to yellow-green; papery ligules seen at leaf bases
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: 3'-5' long; pendulous, within leaves; highly branched
- Fruit: spherical; 1/3" in diameter; black when ripe
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 20F
- Drought Tolerance: good
- Dry Heat Tolerance: very good
- Cool Tolerance: good
- Wind Tolerance: good
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age
- Soil Preference: adaptable
- Light Requirement: full sun
- Human Hazards: shape petiolar blades
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: potassium deficiency common
- Transplants?: unknown, though very poor before forming a trunk
- Indoor?: poor choice
- Availability: rare
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Huntington Gardens, near Pasadena, California
Living Desert gardens, Palm Desert, California
Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami, Florida
California leaf with potassium deficiency
unripe fruits, Huntington
