blood diamond

The following discussion includes facts about Sabal palmetto and how to identify one. Sabal palmetto, also known as sabal palm or cabbage palm, falls into the family, Arecaceae. In order to identify a Sabal palmetto (grass on steroids), you must know its composition and it topography. It is known to be a monocot, meaning that it has parallel veins. Also, it is an angiosperm, implecating that it blooms flowers and it’s fruit is a drupe. The leave composition is simple and its shape is palmate. An easy way to distinguish Sabal palmetto from other palms that fall into the family, Arecaceae is that the leaves are droopy, its hastula extends on the leaf, long spike leaves and the petiole is smooth. Other facts about Sabal palmetto is that it is a native species, it can grow up to 90 ft., it grows in coastal plains, wet to dry sites, it is evergreen and it is a slow growing tree with a boot not a bark. Its tolerances are very fire tolerant, wet, flood and shade tolerant, moderate salt and drought.

http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/sabpala.pdf
Sabal palmetto is a very easy plant to manage. It requires either sun or shade in order to be successful. It can easily adapt to saline waters (brackish waters), also succeed in dry, sandy soils. New seedlings and its root system redevelop from the base line of the boot and commands sufficient water and constant warm soil temperatures. http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Cabbage_palm.pdf “They grow in groups of a few specimens to several hundreds or even thousands, mostly in low swampy areas, freshwater wetland ecosys- tems, coastal areas, in hammocks, pine forests, and mixed hardwood forests.”