SABAL (possibly a native name in South America, 

 but the author of the genus does not explain). Pal- 

 mclcea;. Spineless palms, low, tall or almost stemless, 

 the robust, ringed trunk obliquely ascending at the 

 base, clothed above with dead leaf-sheaths: Ivs. termi- 

 nal, orbicular or cuneate at the base, flabellately multi- 

 tid; segments linear, bitid, filamentous on the margins, 

 induplicate in the bud; rachis short or long; ligule 

 short, adnate to the rachis; petiole concave above, the 

 margins smooth, acute; sheath short: spadices large, 

 elongated, decompound, at first erect, the branches and 

 branchlets slender, recurving, pendent; spathes sheath- 

 ing the branches and peduncles tubular, oblique at the 

 throat: bracts and bractlets minute: fls. small, gla- 

 brous, white or green : fruits small, globose, black, 

 the short style basal. Species 6, Florida to Venezuela, 

 and one in Sonora. 



Some botanists make the species names all feminine ; 

 others neuter. Jared G. Smith. 



The Cabbage Palmetto (Sahal Palmetto) grows in 

 groups of a few specimens to several hundreds or even 

 thousands in the rich black soil on the banks of the St. 

 Johns and Ocklawaha rivers of Florida, forming a glori- 

 ous sight; and even the tourist who is blind to most of 

 the charms of nature cannot help being overwhelmed 

 by the beauty and grandeur of these palms. They are 

 found northward to South Carolina, but they attain their 

 fuHest development in Florida, where they always form 

 an important feature of the landscape. Generally they 

 grow in dense groups, but they are more beautiful in all 

 their parts where they have room enough to spread. 

 In southern Florida the undersigned has often found 

 underneath the crown of leaves a dense wreath of ferns 

 (Polypodium aureum), which heightens the charm of 

 these palms considerably. On the St. Johns the trunk 

 is often covered with the trumpet creeper (Tecoma 

 radicans) , or it is hidden by the dense foliage of the 

 cross-vine (Bignonia capreolata), both of which form 

 a beautiful ornament, especially when in flower. These 

 suggestions of nature are often followed by planters who 

 have a feeling for nature-like landscape ef- 

 fects. The Cabbage Palmetto thrives even in 

 the poor sandy soil, and it is greatly improved 

 by cultivation. Even good-sized trees are 

 not difficult to transplant if the whole 

 stem is carefully dug out and all of the 

 roots and leaves are cut off. If the stem has 

 been set at least three feet deep and the 

 soil is kept well watered after planting, the 

 Palmetto is almost sure to live. In addition 

 to the Palmetto, all of the Sabals mentioned 

 in this work are cultivated by the undersigned 

 on high pine land in southern Florida. Un- 

 der these conditions the Sabals have proved 

 a great success, as also all species of Phoenix 

 and all Cocos of the australis type, while the 

 species of Washingtonia, Erythea, Livistona 

 und Trachycarpus have been an entire failure. 

 S. Blackhurnianum is, in the judgment of 

 the undersigned, the finest of all the fan- 

 leaved palms that can be grown in Florida. 



All the species that form trunks are objects 

 •of great beauty when well grown. They need 

 to be well fertilized, or the lower leaves will 

 suffer and finally die, thus detracting much 

 from the elegance of the specimen. They all 

 grow naturally in rich black soil, but they all thrive ex- 

 ceedingly well in the sandy pine woods soil if well fertil- 

 ized and watered ; in fact, they can hardly be fertilized too 

 much, and the more nitrogenous manure and water 

 they get the faster they grow. When transplanted they 

 must be set deep. In planting palms the writer always 

 makes a hollow about G ft. in diameter and about 2 ft. 

 deep in the center. This center, which receives the plant. 



is the deepest point, while the ground all around is 

 slightly sloping. Care must be taken to remove the sand 

 after heavy rains or the crown will soon be buried and the 

 little plant dies. As the plant first forms the trunk in the 

 soil and as the growth is rather rapid, this precaution is 

 not necessarj' after the plant has attained a few feet in 

 ^'^®- H. Nehrling. 



The Cabbage Palmetto (Sahal Palmetto) is rich in his 

 torical associations. It is also noted for its imperish- 

 ability under water. The trunks make good piles for 

 wharves, as they resist the attacks of the borer in sea 

 water. The leaves make the best of thatching. Until 

 the tree reaches a height of 10-20 ft. the bases of the 

 leaf -stalks remain upon the trunk, forming a unique 

 chevaux de frise, which adds much to its picturesque- 

 ness. This palm, when pot-grown, is valuable for 

 greenhouse culture at the North. 



The Dwarf Palmetto can resist as low a temperature 

 as 10-17° F. The graceful flower-spike rises above the 

 leaves to a height of G or 7 feet. 



S. longipedimciilatum somewhat resembles the Cab- 

 bage Palmetto, and its flower-spikes extend far above 

 the leaves. g. N. Reasoner. 



INDEX. 



Adansoni, 1. Hoogendorpi, s. l. minor, 1. 



Blackhurnianum, 4. Javanicum, S. L. minus, 1. 



esBi-ulescens, s. L. longifolium, S. L. Mocini, 3. 



dealbatum, s. L. longipeduiiculatum, Palmetto, 3. 



Ghiesbreghtii, s. L. s. L. princeps, S. L. 



glaucum, s. L. mauritiaeforme, 2. timhraculiferum, 4. 



glavcescens, 2. Mexicanum, 5. Vresana, s. L. 

 Havauensis, s. l. 



A. Leaf-Made longer than petiole. 



B. Trunk none 1. Adansoni 



BB. Trtmk fina lli/ 60 ft 2. mauritiaeforme 



AA. Leaf-hlade shorter than petiole. 



B. Shape of blade cordate 3. Palmetto 



BB. Shape of Made orbicular. 



c. Lobes rather rigid 4. Blackbumianum 



CO. Lobes pendent 5. Mexicanum 



^^^^^"^^^^^^^^^ 



2224. The Palmetto in Florida— Sabal Palmetto. 



1. Ad&nsoni, Guerns. (S. minus or minor, Pers. 

 Corypha minor, Jacq. not Linn.). Dwarf Palmetto. 

 Blue Palm. Stem short, buried in the earth: Ivs. 2-3 

 ft. long; blade circular in its outline, somewhat longer 

 than the petiole, glaucous ; segments slightly cleft 

 at the apex: spadix erect, much longer than the Ivs., 

 3-G ft.: drupe ]4 in. thick, black. Southern states. 

 B.M. 1434. 



(1593) 



