TEXAS SABAL PALM
Sabal texana Arecaceae, Palm Family
DESCRIPTION: Tall, straight trunk; fronds clustered near top in large, dense,
rounded crown.
Height: 20-50 feet. -
Flowers: Numerous, fragrant;
white on 7 to 8-foot-long drooping stalks; March-April.
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Fruit: One-seeded, dull-black
berry. Dry, edible pulp.
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Foliage: Fan-shaped fronds.
Spineless leaf stalks.
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Bark: Frond scars; frond bases
cling in younger trees.
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Growth rate: Slow.
REQUIREMENTS:
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Sun: Will germinate in shade;
needs full sun for fastest growth.
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Soil: Any.
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Drainage: Tolerates poor
drainage.
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Water. Drought tolerant.
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Maintenance: Little needed.
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Propagation: Seed.
NATIVE HABITAT:
Rio Grande flood plains and resaca
banks in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties. Of the original 40,000 acres of Sabal
Palm Forest only two groves (less than 100 acres) survive. See at Audubon Sabal
Palm Grove Sanctuary, southeast of Brownsville.
WILDLIFE USE:
Cover, nest sites, food; coyotes
disperse seeds long distances by carrying them internally after eating fruit.
COMMENTS:
Uses include fronds for thatching and
trunks for pilings. Freeze hardy; thornless; long-lived; slow growing, but worth
the wait; allow plenty of space, 10 to 15 feet, for this palm in your landscape.
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