Sabal minor

Common name

blue-stem palmetto, dwarf palmetto

Description

Stems: Solitary, subterranean, rarely growing upright to 2 m tall. Leaves: Minorly costapalmate,costapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, induplicate,induplicate:
Most palm leaflets or leaf segments are obviously folded. If the folds create a V-shape, with the midrib lower than the margins (so that rain might fall "into a valley"), the folding is induplicate.
, grayish green, circular, almost in a single plane or slightly folded, segments stiff and split about half the length of the blade with few or no fibers between segments, tips slightly bifid. Leaf split almost to the costa,costa:
mid-rib or vein
, dividing the blade nearly in half. Petiole unarmed. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescence sparsely branched to two orders, longer than leaves. When ripe, fruits are spherical to ovoid, brown or black drupes to 6-10 mm long.

Diagnostic features

Field: Solitary, unarmed, usually subterranean palm with weakly costapalmate,costapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, grayish green leaves, split almost to the costa,costa:
mid-rib or vein
, dividing the blade nearly in half. Inflorescence sparsely branched to two orders, longer than leaves.

May be confused with

Sabal etonia, but its leaves are yellow-green and strongly costapalmate,costapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, with abundant marginal fibers

Distribution

Native to the southern United States from North Carolina to Texas and northeast Mexico

Additional comments

This genus is among the most common in and around the Caribbean region and among the few native to the continental United States.

Scientific name

Sabal minor (Jacq.) Pers.

Family

Arecaceae/Palmae

Synonyms

Corypha minor Jacquin

Chamaerops acaulis Michaux

Chamaerops louisiana W. Darby

Corypha pumila Walter

Sabal adansonii Guersent

Sabal deeringiana Small

Sabal louisiana (W. Darby) Bomhard

Sabal pumila (Walter) Elliott