268 / 476
GENERAL
Origin
:
sub-tropical
Vigour
:
normal growth
rate
Humidity
:
very humid,
extremely humid
Propagation :
sowing and
pricking out
Maintenance :
low
CONDITIONS
Urban climate :
vulnerable
Dessication :
vulnerable
Stagnant water :
vulnerable
Irrigation
:
medium
Salinity/ppm :
moderate (1500
ppm)
Hardiness
:
-12°C
SHAPE
Type
:
palms
Height
:
6 m-25 m
Spread
:
2 m-5 m
Foliage
:
evergreen
FLOWER
Colour
:
white, pale
yellow
Size
:
200 cm
Period
:
May - August
FRUIT
Type of fruit :
drupe
Fruit size
:
1.3 cm
The Saw Palmetto Palm or Cabbage Palm, native to Florida, is a handsome species which will
grow well in a garden environment in Arriyadh. S. palmetto attains a height of 15 to 25 metres
with a spherical 4 to 5-metre diameter crown, although it is slow to form a trunk. The lower part
of the grey-coloured trunk is smooth; the upper part is covered with old leaf stem bases, known
as boots, arranged in a criss-cross pattern. There is no crown shaft; large leaves grow right from
the trunk spreading in all directions. The fan-shaped leaves are stiff, bright green to deep olive,
and the spineless leaf stalk runs to the end of the blade, which is about 2 to 3 metres in diameter.
Leaflets tips are split, with fibres coming off the edges. The creamy-white, fragrant flowers are
small, and their long branched stems droop in clusters in mid-summer. Fruits are small, round
and black when ripe. The tender terminal bud within the crown is eaten like a cabbage. Trees pre-
fer full sun to light shade, which increases the crown of the palm. They adapt to all kinds of moist,
well-drained soils, can tolerate drought as well cold weather, and are frost-hardy to
–
12°C. Very
durable and wind-resistant, the Cabbage Palm has a strong, very deep root system and requires
regular irrigation. The Cabbage Palm is propagated by seed. It is an excellent street or lawn tree,
easy to care for and requires only low maintenance.
267
Sabal palmetto,
Arecaceae
Cabbage Palm,
Saw Palmetto