An increasingly popular plant for the southeastern US is the Sabal minor.  This small palm rarely grows taller than 7’ Ht (in Florida), although much taller specimens are understood to be in Texas.  Because of its shape, short and palmate with a bluish tint, the Sabal minor is often confused with the Saw palmetto.  The difference is that the Saw palmetto has a serrated stem (or petiole) and the Sabal minor does not.  Also, the Saw palmetto tends to ultimately develop a trunk but the Sabal minor does not, hence the popular common name “Blue stem palmetto”.   The similarities are certainly there between these two plants.  Both are native palms to the Southeastern United States and both are good in zones 8-11, although the Sabal minor is capable of handling colder temperatures and is advisable as far north as Zone 7.   The Sabal minor is not as salt tolerant as the Saw palmetto, which is often found on the dunes of Florida’s beaches.

We at Royal Crest have sold Sabal minor to all parts of the southeast where it has often been chosen as an understory for important projects.   This palm is excellent for partial sun, part shade applications as is evidenced by its common appearance around the trunks of Live Oaks. It is also drought tolerant however it does prefer moist soils as is exhibited by its common appearance in the forest bottomlands of the southeastern United States.    Finally, it is highly tolerant of many types of soil including acidic, alkaline, sand, loam, and clay.   The Sabal minor is an excellent native, cold tolerant palm that performs with great hardiness and can be used in many applications.  Its tropical look without the vulnerability to freezing temperatures makes it a no-brainer for the sub-tropical climates of the southern half of North America from coastal Washington State through California east to Texas, Florida up to the Carolina coast.

We currently carry the Sabal minor in 3gallon 14-16”, 7gallon 20-24”, 15gallon 2.5’-3’Ht and 45 gallon 5-6’ Ht containers.   Give us a call for any other information on this remarkable plant!