Palmetto palm

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Palmetto palm
Spalmetto2.JPG

Palmetto palm ( Sabal palmetto )

Systematics
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Palm- like arecales
Family : Palm family (Arecaceae)
Genre : Sabal
Type : Palmetto palm
Scientific name
Sabal palmetto
( Walt .) Lodd .

The palmetto palm ( Sabal palmetto ) is a large-growing palm species whose natural range is in Florida , on the Atlantic coast of Georgia , South Carolina and southern North Carolina . It also occurs in western Cuba and with the exception of Grand Bahama , Abaco and South Andros in the Bahamas .

features

The palmetto palm grows up to 20 meters high and has a slender solitary trunk of gray color that can reach a diameter of 35 centimeters. The trunk is often wrapped in old leaf bases. Their leaves are fan-shaped and costapalmat, which means that they have a clearly pronounced midrib that extends far into the leaf blade. The leaf segments are notched deeply and are only connected to one another over the first third of their length. Threads hang down from their tips. The bushy, densely branched inflorescence is about as long as the leaves and forms hermaphroditic, white to cream-colored flowers from which black round fruits develop, which reach a diameter of 8 to 14 mm.

habitat

The palmetto palm has a high salt tolerance and grows mainly close to the coast on dunes, on river banks, in swamps, in marshes , in Cuba also in savannah-like surroundings. It tolerates flooding, including brackish water.

use

Flag of South Carolina : the Palmettopalme is on Fort Moultrie related

Palmetto palms are often planted as avenue palms or as garden plants in the southeastern United States. They are mainly taken from natural stocks, but are not endangered as a result, as they have a high potential for reproduction.

In the past, the Indians of southeastern North America used them in many ways. Their leaves were woven into baskets and hats, or ropes and sacks were made from the leaf fibers. The fresh fruits were eaten and their juice squeezed. It was used to relieve bronchial diseases and was considered an aphrodisiac . A juice pressed from the roots helped against high blood pressure.

The first fortification of Fort Moultrie near Charleston was built using palmetto trunks, which proved to be effective against artillery fire because of their spring action . Because of this probation, the palmetto palm was included in the flag of South Carolina in 1861 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Palmetto Palm ( Sabal palmetto )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files