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Sabal palmetto
Sabal palmetto grove in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Arecales Family: Arecaceae Genus: Sabal Species: S. palmetto
Binomial name
Sabal palmetto (Walt.) Lodd.

Sabal palmetto, also known as Cabbage Palm, Palmetto, Cabbage Palmetto, and Sabal Palm, is one of 15 species of palmetto palm (Arecaceae, genus Sabal). It is native to the southeastern United States, Cuba, and the Bahamas. In the United States it occurs throughout Florida and coastal Georgia Coastal South Carolina and North Carolina. Although historically reported from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, this population has long been extirpated. It is the state tree of South Carolina and Florida.

Sabal palmetto grows up to 20 m in height, with a trunk up to 60 cm diameter. It is a fan palm (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae), with the leaves with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. Each leaf is 1.5-2 m long, with 40-60 leaflets up to 80 cm long. The flowers are yellowish-white, 5 mm across, produced in large compound panicles up to 2.5 m long, extending out beyond the leaves. The fruit is a black drupe about 1 cm long containing a single seed. It is extremely salt-tolerant and is often seen growing near the Atlantic Ocean coast, and also frost-tolerant, surviving short periods of temperatures as low as -14 °C.

Sabal palmetto shows remarkable tolerance of salt, even being able to grow where washed by sea water at high tide

Sabal palmetto is popular in cultivation for its tolerance of salt spray and cold. It is the state tree of South Carolina and Florida. Most references rate the species as hardy to USDA hardiness zone 8a without protection, although with protection it can be grown in zone 7.

The growing heart of the new fronds, also known as the terminal bud, gives the tree its "cabbage" name, since this is extracted as a food and superficially resembles a cabbage head in shape and tastes like an artichoke. It is what is referred to in a Heart of palm salad. This was commonly eaten by Native Americans. However, this practice is very destructive as it will kill the palm, because the terminal bud is the only point from which the palm can grow and without this bud the palm will not be able to replace old leaves and will eventually die.

Fruiting panicles

• Zona, S. 1990. A monograph of Sabal (Arecaceae: Coryphoideae). Aliso 12: 583-666.

• Flora of North America: Sabal palmetto
• Sabal palmetto from Floridata
• US Forest Service Silvics Manual: Sabal palmetto