Scrub palmetto
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Sabal etonia
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Arecaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Accent shrub in dry soils. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Availability: |
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Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida. |
Description: |
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Medium shrubby palm, almost always with an underground trunk, but rarely the trunk exposed to 3 feet in height. |
Height: |
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Typically 5-10 feet in height. About as broad as tall. |
Growth Rate: |
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Slow. |
Range: |
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Peninsular Florida from Clay County south to Lake Okeechobee and then along the east coast south to Miami-Dade County. |
Habitats: |
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Scrub and scrubby flatwoods. |
Soils: |
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Moist to dry, well-drained sandy soils, with or without humus. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content. |
Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water. |
Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
Drought Tolerance: |
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High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
Light Requirements: |
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Full sun to light shade. |
Flower Color: |
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Creamy white. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy inflorescence. |
Flowering Season: |
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Spring-summer. |
Fruit: |
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Globose bluish-black berry. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Larval host for monk skiller (Asbolis capucinus) butterflies. Nectar plant for butterflies and other pollinators. Birds and other animals eat the fruits. |
Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seed. |
Comments: |
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