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Serenoa repens
Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small
Saw Palmetto
Arecaceae (Palm Family)
Synonym(s): Brahea serrulata, Corypha repens, Serenoa serrulata
USDA Symbol: SERE2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
The fan-shaped leaves of this evergreen shrub may be 3 ft. or more across, with harsh, saw-like teeth, or spines, along the petiole. Leaf color ranges from silvery-white or cloudy, blue-green to green. The shrub, usually 10-12 ft., is much-branched horizontally and occasionally becomes a small tree. Small, white, fragrant flowers occur on plume-like branched stalks from leaf axils. Fruit are orange to black when mature.
The Saw Palmetto is a member of the family Arecaceae, the palm family, which includes evergreen trees and shrubs and sometimes vines. Stout or sometimes slender unbranched trunk, not divided into bark and wood and not increasing in diameter. About 2500 species worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, 11 native and 1 naturalized tree species and 2 native shrub species in North America; many others southward.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Fruit Type: Drupe
Size Notes: Up to about 12 feet tall.
Leaf: Yellow-Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: WhiteBloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul
Distribution
USA: AL , FL , GA , LA , MS , SCNative Distribution: SC to FL & LA
Native Habitat: Pinelands; hammocks; sand dunes; savannas
Growing Conditions
Water Use: HighLight Requirement: Part Shade
CaCO3 Tolerance: None
Soil Description: Well-drained or seasonally water-logged soils.
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
Palmetto Skipper (Euphyes arpa) Larval Host |
Propagation
Description: Propagation by seed is a slow process.Commercially Avail: yes
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FACU | FACU |
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Crosby Arboretum - Picayune, MS
Bibliography
Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski
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Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Research Literature
Reslit 101 - Flammability of native understory species in pine flatwood and hardwood hammock ecosystems and implications for the wildland-urban interface (2004) A. L. Behm, M. L. Duryea, A. J. Long and W. C. Zip...Reslit 1223 - Postestablishment landscape performance of Florida native and exotic shrubs under irrigated and nonirrigated conditions (2008) S. M. Scheiber, E. F. Gilman, D. R. Sandrock, M. P...
Reslit 2447 - Life history strategies of Florida scrub plants in relation to fire (1995) E. S. Menges, N. Kohfeldt
Reslit 2605 - Post-fire growth strategies of resprouting Florida scrub vegetation (2011) A. J. Maguire, E. S. Menges
Reslit 2660 - Seasonal effects of prescribed burning and roller chopping on saw palmetto in flatwoods (2010) E. V. Willcox, W. M. Giuliano
Reslit 2661 - Life in the slow lane: Palmetto seedlings exhibit remarkable survival but slow growth in Florida's nutrient-poor uplands (2009) W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson
Reslit 2662 - Seed germination methods and establishment of saw-palmetto, Serenoa repens, in South Texas (2008) D. J. Makus
Reslit 2663 - Effects of burning season and frequency on saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) flowering and fruiting (2006) M. E. Carrington, J. J. Mullahey
Reslit 2664 - Post-fire canopy recovery in two fire-adapted palms, Serenoa repens and Sabal etonia (Arecaceae) (2006) W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson
Reslit 2665 - Seed dispersal by the Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri) in pine rockland forests of the lower Florida Keys, United States (2004) H. Liu, S. G. Platt, C. K. Borg
This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
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Additional resources
USDA: Find Serenoa repens in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Serenoa repens in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Serenoa repens
Metadata
Record Modified: 2022-10-11Research By: TWC Staff