NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Sabal palmetto

Cabbage Palmetto

Scientific Name:	Sabal palmetto
Genus:	Sabal
Species Epithet:	palmetto
Common Name:	Cabbage Palmetto
Plant Type	Tree
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Arecaceae (Palm Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	12-36 ft., 36-72 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	White, Yellow
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist
Bloom Time:	July
Growing Area:	Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Maritime forests, marsh edges, and other near-coastal communities. Rare in NC Coastal Plainl.
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Evergreen
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Recommended and Available
State Rank:	S1: Critically imperiled ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
State Status:	T: Threatened ^(*Key)
Notes:	Fruits eaten by birds. Cabbage Palm leaves are described in various ways. Some authors say that the leaves are palmate, while another says that the leaves are “intermediate between palmate and pinnate” (Sibley 2009). Weakley (2015) describes the leaves in Sabal spp. as palmate or costapalmate. Mellichamp (2014) and Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold (2007) say that the leaves of Cabbage Palm are simple and alternate, although they have a fan-shaped appearance.
Habitat Cabbage Palmetto extends into North Carolina only at the southeastern tip, in Brunswick Co. It is common in the maritime forests of the Smith Island complex (Bald Head Island, Middle Island, Bluff Island). It also grows on the edges of marshes and is widely planted. In this photo, the cabbage palmetto is surrounded by dwarf palmettos (Sabal minor). Paynter, Donnelly Wildlife Management Area, SC. March, 2013
Frond The fronds of cabbage palmettos have a distinctive arch (unlike the smaller dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor) and can be up to 3' across.
Close-up of filaments and rib The filaments and the long, triangular rib are good identification marks to differentiate cabbage palmetto from dwarf palmetto.
Trunk Beneath the fronds, the old leaf bases make a crisscross pattern on the upper trunk. There is no true bark.
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record