Sabal minor
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Sabal minor habit, in unusually large cluster |
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Sabal minor habit, individual palm |
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Sabal minor habit, young individual |
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Sabal minor juvenile leaf form, split nearly into two halves |
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Sabal minor leaf hastula (adaxial view of leaf) |
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Sabal minor leaf costa (abaxial view of leaf) |
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Sabal minor flowers |
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Sabal minor closer view of flowers |
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Sabal minor inflorescence extending beyond leaves with a roughly 2 m tall human for length comparison |
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Sabal minor fruits. Photograph courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Guide to Palms http://palmguide.org/index.php |
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Sabal minor seeds (mm scale). Photograph courtesy of Mariana P. Beckman, DPI |
Common name
blue-stem palmetto, dwarf palmetto
Description
Stems: Solitary, subterranean, rarely growing upright to 2 m tall. Leaves: Minorly costapalmatecostapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, induplicateinduplicate:
Most palm leaflets or leaf segments are obviously folded. If the folds create a V-shape, with the midrib lower than the margins (so that rain might fall "into a valley"), the folding is induplicate.
, grayish green, circular, almost in a single plane or slightly folded, segments stiff and split about half the length of the blade with few or no fibers between segments, tips slightly bifidbifid:
deeply cleft into two usually equal parts or two-lobed from the apex; for example, palms with bifid leaves or leaflet tips (e.g., <em>Chamaedorea metallica</em> has bifid leaves)
. Leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
split almost to the costacosta:
mid-rib or vein
, dividing the blade nearly in half. Petiole unarmed. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
sparsely branched to two orders, longer than leaves. When ripe, fruits are spherical to ovoid, brown or black drupes to 6-10 mm long.
Diagnostic features
Field: Solitary, unarmed, usually subterranean palm with weakly costapalmatecostapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, grayish green leaves, split almost to the costacosta:
mid-rib or vein
, dividing the blade nearly in half. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
sparsely branched to two orders, longer than leaves.
May be confused with
Sabal etonia, but its leaves are yellow-green and strongly costapalmatecostapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, with abundant marginal fibers
Distribution
Native to the southern United States from North Carolina to Texas and northeast Mexico
Additional comments
This genus is among the most common in and around the Caribbean region and among the few native to the continental United States.
Scientific name
Sabal minor (Jacq.) Pers.
Family
Arecaceae/Palmae
Synonyms
Corypha minor Jacquin
Chamaerops acaulis Michaux
Chamaerops louisiana W. Darby
Corypha pumila Walter
Sabal adansonii Guersent
Sabal deeringiana Small
Sabal louisiana (W. Darby) Bomhard
Sabal pumila (Walter) Elliott
