The Cabbage Palm Tree, scientific name Sabal palmetto, is one of many of the cold hardy palm trees belonging to the genus Sabal. The Cabbage Palm Tree has gained popularity because it is very durable and will tolerate a wide variety of soil and weather conditions.

This cold-hardy palm is widely used for landscaping all throughout Florida and other southern states, including; Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, and California. Because it is very salt-tolerant you can plant it on the beachside.

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Cabbage Palm Tree Info

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Scientific name: Sabal palmetto

 

Common names: It is also known as Sabal bermudana, Sabal causiarum, Sabal etonia, Sabal mexicana, Sabal minor, Sabal miamiensis, Sabal Palmetto Sabal Palm, Carolina Palmetto, and Sabal Palmetto. All these names come from the Spanish “palmito” which means small palm.

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Family: Arecaceae

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Origin: The Cabbage Palm Tree is native to North America.

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Appearance: The Cabbage Palm has a single, gray, unbranched trunk covered with old leaf bases, also known as boots. Leaf bases create a criss-cross pattern. It gets smoother as the palm matures. The trunk is about 10-15 inches in diameter. Because there is no crownshaft, large leaves grow right from the trunk spreading in all directions 10-20 ft wide. Leaves range in color from bright green to deep olive green. Spineless stems are about 5-6 ft long. The Cabbage Palm has costapalmate-type leaves, a mix of palmate and pinnate, or a mix of feather-shaped and fan-shaped leaves. Leaves have 50-80 leaflets that are about 1″ to 2″ wide. The Cabbage Palm is very durable and resistant to breaking with a strong root system that penetrates the soil to 15-20 feet deep.

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Flowers/Fruits: In the summer, the Cabbage Palm bears small creamy to white flowers that droop in clusters from within the crown. Fragrant flowers are held by 2ft long branching inflorescence. Flowers are followed by a black fruit 1/3 inch with a single seed inside. The Cabbage Palm fruit is edible.

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Growth Rate: In the wild Sabal palmetto can grow up to 80ft tall, but in cultivation, it usually doesn’t get higher than 30-40 ft tall and 10-15 ft wide.

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Outdoor/Indoor Use: Both.

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Cold Tolerance: The Cabbage Palm is very durable because it adapts to all kinds of soil and weather conditions. It can tolerate drought as well as cold down to 10F when mature enough. Grows best in the USDA Zones 8a (10 to 15 F) to – 11 (above 40 F).

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Light Req: Partial shade to full sun. It likes full sun but can also grow in a partial shade. Less sun exposure will increase the crown of the palm.

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Water Req: Although it is a very tolerable palm it likes moist well-drained soil.

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Maintenance: Easy. The Cabbage Palms is very much maintenance-free. Apply good quality palm fertilizer that has continuous release formula twice a year during the growing season.

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Insects and Diseases: Generally very healthy palm.

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Propagation: The Cabbage Palm is propagated by seeds.