Serenoa repens

Welcome to the PACSOA Palms and Cycads wiki! If you have any information about this species, please help by updating this article. Once you are registered you can contribute, change, or correct the text, and even add photos on this page. Click on the edit tab above and play around. Any mistake can be easily corrected, so don't be afraid.

Figure 1. S. repens in habitat, Florida

Synonymy:

Sabal serrulata

Common Names:

Saw Palmetto

Distribution & Habitat:

Open forest, and coastal dunes in southeastern USA.

Description:

A small, densely clumping fan palm, usually with a subterranean trunk, but occasionally emergent to about 3m, with heavily armed petioles, and either plain green or glaucous leaves.

General:

The berry has long been an important source of herbal medicines, and is now one of the main sources of a herbal drug used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-malignant enlargement of the prostrate. Click [here] for more information.

Culture:

Sunny, moist, but well drained position. Very tolerant of coastal exposure. Cold sensitive. Very tough once established. A usefull barrier plant, due to its dense clumping nature, and spines.

Figure 2. Green form of S. repens in the Palermo Botanic Gardens.

Contributed by:

Jason Skells (Figure 1)
Angelo Porcelli (Figure 2)

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr, PalmTalk