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Botanical Garden

Sabal minor - Dwarf sabal

Family Arecaceae

Description:

About fifteen species of Sabal range from the southeastern U.S. into northern South America and the Caribbean. This species is native to the southeastern United States from Florida to Texas and into northern Mexico. It resembles a seedling cabbage palm but has an upright flower spike with less branching than the arching spike of a cabbage palm. The leaves are flatter, not as saddle-shaped as the cabbage palm and the dwarf sabal's seeds are smaller.

Location:

See this plant along the Lake Oneida boardwalk.

Size:

Shrub with leaves to about four or six feet tall, usually without an obvious trunk.

Care Instructions:

Light: sun to shade

Water: moist soil, somewhat drought tolerant

Soil: adaptable to soil types, no other special requirements

In northeast Florida, this native plant is not commonly grown. It may be available from nurseries specializing in native plants. It tolerates a wide range of conditions, except the very driest.