Until last Thursday I thought these palms were hard to identify. On our visit to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Chuck Tague explained that if you look at the stem and arrangement of fronds it’s easy to tell the difference between these three Florida natives.
Scrub palmetto’s (Sabal etonia) fronds all grow from the tip of the stem in a palmate fan — the way your fingers branch out from your palm. It never stands up like a tree because its trunk usually remains underground. We saw a Florida scrub-jay perched on scrub palmetto at Scrub Ridge Trail.
Saw palmetto’s (Serenoa repens) fronds are also palmate but the stem is serrated, giving the “saw” in its name. This one doesn’t stand up either. Its trunk lies on the ground or just below the soil.
Sabal palm’s (Sabal palmetto) fronds are pinnate, sprouting on two sides of the stem instead of from the tip. These palms are upright and become trees up to 65 feet tall — the state trees of Florida and South Carolina.
Look closely at the fronds and stems and you can read the palms.
p.s. Did you know these fallen-off stems are called boots? People sometimes trim them off but they should be left on the trunk to support the tree.
(photos by Chuck Tague)
I bought a Saw Palmetto last summer and slowly but surely it’s dying! I transplanted it to a much larger pot and used Miracle Grow potting soil, I keep it in front of a window and water it once per week. Please help me, I don’t know what more to do.
I don’ know anything about saw palmetto but this website (scroll down) says the plant is maintenance free, so maybe it wants less attention? https://homeguides.sfgate.com/information-saw-palmetto-plants-44574.html