Sabal Palms III: Sabal palmetto and Minor Sabal Species

Continuing our series on hardy palms is the species Sabal palmetto, the palm found on the state flags of South Carolina and Florida. The following descriptions highlight the tremendous variety of species.

Sabal palmetto (Palmetto Palm)

The 40 ‘tall S. palmetto is the dominant trunk palm in the southeastern United States. Its native range extends from northern Florida to the North Carolina coast. Like S. minor, cultivars are grown from seed and represent particular genetic populations. (Hardiness zone 8-10)

S. palmetto ‘Bald Head Island’ (Bald Head Island Palmetto Palm)

The northernmost native stand of S. palmettos resides on Bald Head Island, North Carolina. We have found that the seedlings of these plants are particularly winter hardy in our climate, and have shown no damage since 1999. (Hardiness zone 7b-10)

S. palmetto ‘Lisa’ (Lisa Palmetto Palm)

This is a more unusual congested leaf form of S. palmetto and is reported to have exceptional winter hardiness. I have yet to test this on the ground in Zone 7b. (Endurance zone 8-10, guessing)

S. palmetto ‘Mt. Holly ‘(Mount Holly Palmetto Palm)

This is another exceptionally winter hardy form of S. palmetto that is grown from the seed of a plant in Mt. Holly (west of Charlotte), North Carolina. Planted in the 1960s, these 18 to 20 foot palm trees have survived -5 degrees F in their current location. We have had them in the garden since 1999 without any signs of damage. The foliage in this form is much narrower than what we think of as a typical S. palmetto.

S. palmetto ‘Rock Hill’

These S. palmettos are from a stand in Rock Hill, SC (south of Charlotte NC). They were planted in the 1950s and survived the record low of -8 degrees F in 1984/85. The leaves of this form are much wider than those of S. palmetto ‘Mt. Holly ‘, and have shown slightly less winter hardiness in our tests. (Resistance zone 7b-10)

S. palmetto ‘Tifton Hardy’ (Tifton Hardy Palmetto Palm)

This southeastern native S. palmetto seed strain was collected by retired Raleigh city horticulturist Noel Weston on a trip through Tifton, Georgia after the 1980s freeze that killed most of the palmettos. Noel found an intact specimen in a hotel in Tifton and collected seeds. Expect a 10 ‘trunk in 15 years. The leaves of this form are broad like S. palmetto ‘Rock Hill’. (Resistance zone 7b-10)

S. rosei (Savannah Palmetto)

This little-known palm tree comes from the west coast of Mexico, where it can be found in tropical deciduous forests at an elevation of 2,500 ‘from Culiacán south to Guadalajara. The 40 ‘tall palms resemble East Coast S. palmetto, but with very rigid costapalmate leaves. The plants at the Georgia bamboo farm have taken 15 degrees F, and Hayes Jackson from Alabama reports that his plants have withstood 8 degrees F, so we think these are worth a try for gardeners who want to experiment. S. rosei prefers well-drained soils and sites in full sun. The small plants in our garden survived 9 degrees F in 2009, even though the foliage was burned. (Hardiness zone 8b-10, at least)

Sabal sp. Tamaulipas (Mexican palm tree)

(aka: S. minor YD 17-55) This unique garden worthy palm has been grouped together into S. minor, which is strange if you’ve grown these two plants side by side. Sabal sp. Tamaulipas is a steroid S. minor that grows three times faster, with much larger leaves and much larger seeds. 6 ‘wide costapalmate leaves (curved in the middle) adorn the 8’ tall clusters. Our mother plant comes from a 1988 Yucca Do seed expedition to Tamaulipas, Mexico, where these palms were found at about 1,500 feet in elevation. Although apparently trunkless, older specimens develop a horizontal trunk up to 4 ‘long that lies on the ground. Our oldest plants, installed in 1997, have reached 8 ‘tall. (Resistance zone 7b-10)

S. uresana (Palmetto sonorense)

From up to 4,500 ‘tall in the valleys and slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental (states of Sonora and Chihuahua) in western Mexico, comes this relative of Sabal palmetto that has done well in the gardens of Zone 8 of the Costa East. S. uresana is very slow, but eventually (in the life of its grandchildren) it grows into an impressive 30-foot-tall tree with palmate silver-green leaves and a contrasting dark brown trunk. If you like to experiment, Sabal uresana is a good option to try.