Serenoa repens
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- se-REN-oh-uh REE-penz
- Description
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A small fan palm that grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal areas, and as undergrowth in pine forests. This plant is moderately salt tolerant. The slow-growing stems maybe 100 years old. it is clone forming with clones 1000's of years old. It will reach a height of up to 15 feet tall but usually grows 4-8 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. It has showy flowers in spring and summer with large drupes attractive to wildlife. Saw palmetto gets its name from the sawtooth-like spines on its stems. The stems often grow along the ground on mature specimens due to the weight of the foliage.
Saw palmetto is resistant to damage from hurricanes and can tolerate occasional flooding from storms. Those growing in poor sandy soils are slower growing than those more inland in sandy loam soils.
Plant in full sun to part shade and give this plant enough room to spread. Use as a specimen plant, in mass plantings, or in naturalistic settings.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Serenoa
- Species:
- repens
- Family:
- Arecaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used in herbal medicine
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- SE USA
- Distribution:
- SC, FL, LA
- Wildlife Value:
- Many animals enjoy the fruits. The plant is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species such as Batrachedra decoctor, which feeds exclusively on the plant. Bees use the pollen for making honey
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Dimensions:
- Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Tree
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Dense
- Multi-trunked
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Spines
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Dry
- Very Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Gold/Yellow
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a yellowish drupe that matures to black in Aug through Oct. 0.5 to 1 inch across
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Radial
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowers are yellowish-white, about 5 mm across, produced in dense compound panicles up to 3 feet long
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Waxy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Shape:
- Palmatifid
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The compound leaves are up to 3 feet long with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 narrow pointed leaflets. The petiole has fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species its common name. The leaves are light green in color inland, and silvery-white in coastal regions.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Green stems with sawtooth spines
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Flowering Tree
- Mass Planting
- Small Tree
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Heat
- Humidity
- Poor Soil
- Salt
- Storm damage
- Wind
