Sabal etonia

Sabal etonia, the scrub palmetto, is endemic to Florida. It grows in the deep white sand of sand pine and oak scrub on the peninsula’s ancient dune ridges, most abundantly on the Lake Wales Ridge and also on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. Its solitary stem is usually buried and only rarely emerges as a short, often twisted trunk. Because the stem is underground, the plant can resprout quickly after the fires that maintain scrub habitat. Each plant has only four to seven stiff, yellow-green leaves. The leaves are strongly costapalmate, arching sharply along the midrib, with threadlike fibers between the segments. Its unarmed petioles distinguish it from the saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), which often grows alongside it. Compact, bushy inflorescences, no longer than the leaves, bear fragrant white flowers in late spring and early summer. These are followed by brownish-black fruits up to 0.6 inch across. The name refers to the historic Etonia scrub of north-central Florida. It is slow-growing, very drought-tolerant, and cold-hardy, and it needs full sun and sharply drained sand.

Weight: 1.0 oz.