Serenoa repens
Serenoa (sehr-eh-NO-ah) repens (REH-penz) | |||||||
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Home, South Miami, Florida. Photo by Dr. Scott Zona | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Saw palmetto occurs naturally on the coastal plain from South Carolina to southeastern Louisiana. It grows in a wide range of habitats from seaside sand dunes and dry scrub to moist forests, pine flatwoods and even wetlands. Saw palmetto can be the dominant ground cover in certain southeastern pine forests, sometimes covering hundreds of acres.Description
Saw palmetto is a small hardy fan palm whose stem usually remains just above ground or runs just along the surface (decumbent). In some cases, it develops an erect or arching trunk that may lift the whorl of leaves 2-16 ft (0.6-5 m) above ground. The palmate leaves are 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) across and green or bluish green. The cluster of leaves gets about 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) high with a similar spread. In the wild, saw palmetto often grows in clumps 20 ft (6 m) or more in diameter. The petioles (leaf stems) are about 2 ft (0.6 m) long and sharply saw-toothed. The fruits are round, black when ripe and about an inch in diameter. Growth rate: slow. Height: 5 to 10 feet. Spread: 4 to 10 feet. Trunk: showy; typically multi-trunked or clustering stems. Growth habit: Solitary and Clustering. Plant density: open. Texture: medium. Leaf arrangement: alternate. Leaf margin: parted. Leaf shape: star-shaped. Leaf venation: palmately compound. Leaf blade length: more than 36 inches. Leaf color: silver/gray; blue or blue-green or green. Flower color: yellow-white. Flower characteristic: spring flowering; pleasant fragrance. Fruit shape: oval. Fruit length: .5 to 1 inch. Fruit cover: fleshy. Fruit color: black when ripe. Fruit characteristic: inconspicuous and not showy. Editing by edric.
Culture
Light requirement: plant grows in part shade/part sun; plant grows in the shade. Soil tolerances: alkaline; clay; sand; acidic; loam. Drought tolerance: high. Soil salt tolerances: good. Plant spacing: 36 to 60 inches. Very cold hardy. Saw palmetto should be planted on 3- to 5-foot centers to establish a new mass planting. They make a wonderful ground cover effect beneath existing or newly planted trees. Upright plants can be grown into beautiful multi-stemmed specimens but these are not common and quite expensive. Propagation is usually by seed but seedlings grow very slowly.
Comments and Curiosities
The variety sericea, silver Saw Palmetto, is recognized by some authorities and has beautiful silver leaves.
Etymology: The generic name honors American botanist Sereno Watson.
Uses: The berries of saw palmetto are used as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia or enlarged prostate gland. They are also used as a diuretic to tone the bladder, improve urinary flow, and decrease urinary frequency. They may help prevent prostate cancer. Saw palmetto berries have always been a valuable food source for wildlife. As their effectiveness as a treatment for various human disorders is confirmed their value has steadily increased. Wild creatures must now compete with human collectors for the saw palmetto fruits. Florida landowners are reporting cases of "saw palmetto rustling" where gangs of pickers move in and strip and area of fruit within a few hours. (floridata.com)
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Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is the sole monotypic species currently classified in the genus Serenoa. It has been known by a number of synonyms, including Sabal serrulatum, under which name it still often appears in alternative medicine. It is a small palm, normally reaching a height of around 2–4 m (3–6 ft). Its trunk is sprawling, and it grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal lands or as undergrowth in pine woods or hardwood hammocks. Erect stems or trunks are rarely produced but are found in some populations. It is endemic to the southeastern United States, most commonly along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains, but also as far inland as southern Arkansas. It is a hearty plant; extremely slow growing, and long lived, with some plants, especially in Florida where it is known as simply the palmetto, possibly being as old as 500–700 years. Saw palmetto is a fan palm, with the leaves that have a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole is armed with fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species its common name. The teeth or spines are easily capable of breaking the skin, and protection should be worn when working around a Saw Palmetto. The leaves are light green inland, and silvery-white in coastal regions. The leaves are 1–2 m in length, the leaflets 50–100 cm long. They are similar to the leaves of the palmettos of genus Sabal. The flowers are yellowish-white, about 5 mm across, produced in dense compound panicles up to 60 cm long. The fruit is a large reddish-black drupe and is an important food source for wildlife and historically for humans. The plant is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species such as Batrachedra decoctor, which feeds exclusively on the plant. This plant is also edible to human beings, but the more green it is the more bitter tasting it would be. Saw palmetto is an extremely sturdy palm with great textural interest that blends in well with natural or seaside landscapes. This low, clumping, bushy palm has large, fan-shaped leaves and multiple trunks that creep along the ground, creating a dense ground cover. Most saw palmettos have green leaves, but a form with blue leaves can be found along the southeast coast of Florida. Three-foot-long flower stalks appear in spring, covered with small, yellow-white, fragrant flowers, the source of a commercial high-grade honey. The flowers are followed by small, yellow berries that turn black, ripening August through October. These berries are an important food source for many mammals and birds. Surviving only on rainfall once established, saw palmetto grows on any well-drained soil in full sun to shade, and is highly salt tolerant. Best transplanted when young, larger specimens ideally should not be removed during land clearing, since plants grow very slowly and transplant so poorly. This happens because stems frequently grow along the ground as they droop under the weight of the foliage. Therefore, the root system may not be located beneath the foliage but could be 5 to 10 feet away at the base of the stem. Twice the desired number of collected saw palmetto are often planted since mortality is high. Saw palmetto is becoming more available in containers from nurseries. Homeowners should make an effort to leave native stands in place beneath existing trees when developing a new lot since they require no maintenance. (University of Florida) |
"Growing with Powderpuff Lichens, Cladina evansii. Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens, along the St. Francis ghost town trail. This trail is in the far southeastern section of the Ocala National Forest on the southwest side of the St. John's River. This is just west of DeLand and about 35 miles NW of Orlando." Photo by H.P. Leu Gardens Botanist Eric S.
I came across the tallest Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) I have ever seen last Saturday. It is growing south of New Smyrna Beach in the Canaveral National Seashore. It is easy to find. Go down A1A into the CNS and then make a right onto Eldora Rd. (River Rd.). It is at the north end of parking lot 7. This is the parking lot before the Eldora ghost town. The main stem is about 15-16ft tall and is growing into a Sand Live Oak (Quercus geminata). Photo by H.P. Leu Gardens Botanist Eric S.
I came across the tallest Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) I have ever seen last Saturday. It is growing south of New Smyrna Beach in the Canaveral National Seashore. It is easy to find. Go down A1A into the CNS and then make a right onto Eldora Rd. (River Rd.). It is at the north end of parking lot 7. This is the parking lot before the Eldora ghost town. The main stem is about 15-16ft tall and is growing into a Sand Live Oak (Quercus geminata). Photo by H.P. Leu Gardens Botanist Eric S.
Another stand 200 ft. east, getting twice the sun. The camera is facing south, so it still doesn't get to much sun except mid-summer, it's on the bank above the canal, across the street from the old New Smyrna Bch. High School property, on city property, at the west end of Quay Assissi, on Venezia, rare silver-blue form. Photo by edric.
Another stand 200 ft. east, getting twice the sun. The camera is facing south, so it still doesn't get to much sun except mid-summer, it's on the bank above the canal, across the street from the old New Smyrna Bch. High School property, on city property, at the west end of Quay Assissi, on Venezia, rare silver-blue form. Photo by edric.
External Links
- Glossary of Palm Terms
- MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN
- "Just To Be Clear"
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12137626
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/saw-palmetto/NS_patient-sawpalmetto
References
Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.
Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.
Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.
Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.