Sabal minor aka Bush Palmetto

Dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor, is a small evergreen fan palm in the family Arecaceae. Other common names include bush palmetto, scrub palmetto and swamp palmetto. It grows wild from southern Oklahoma and Texas east to the south-eastern United States. Its range runs north to North Carolina, south to Florida and into north-east Mexico. In the wild it forms an understorey in moist, mainly deciduous woodland on low river terraces. It favours places where water reaches the roots easily.

This palm grows very slowly and can take 10 to 20 years to reach full size. In gardens it usually reaches 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 m) tall and 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 m) wide. Some sources give a range of 2 to 10 feet (0.6 to 3 m) in height. The trunk usually stays below ground, so the leaves seem to rise straight from the soil. Older plants may develop a short visible trunk. Large forms with tall stems occur in Louisiana, and botanists now treat these as variants of the same species.

The leaves are fan-shaped and deeply divided, with blades 1 to 5 feet (0.3 to 1.5 m) across. They range from green to bluish and keep their looks through winter. The long leaf stalks are smooth and carry no spines. In summer, upright branched panicles up to 6 feet (1.8 m) long carry many small, fragrant, creamy white flowers. The flower stalks often rise above the foliage. Bees and other pollinators visit them. Shiny round drupes under half an inch (1.3 cm) wide follow. Each holds one seed and ripens from green to purple-black between August and November.

Dwarf palmetto grows in full sun or part shade. It prefers moist to wet soil that is neutral to alkaline. It copes with clay, sand, loam and poorly drained ground. Once established it tolerates some drought and moderate salt. It is hardy to USDA zones 7 to 10, though zone 7 plants need winter protection. The RHS rates it H5 and reports survival down to about -4°F (-20°C). It puts on new growth only in real heat. Gardeners propagate it from seed, and it needs no pruning.

The plant gives a tropical look to borders, patios, foundation plantings and courtyards. It suits native gardens, coastal sites, pond edges, rain gardens and naturalised areas. Robins, raccoons and many other birds and mammals eat the fruit. Deer seldom touch it. Most sources report few problems. NC State lists palmetto scale and palm leaf skeletonizer as insects that sometimes attack it. Cold hardiness can limit it at the northern edge of its range. The IUCN rates the species as Least Concern.

No hazards are known for this palm. The fruit has a thin, sweet flesh. People have baked fresh root slices and eaten them like bread. Plants For A Future suggests the young leaves, leaf buds and sap may be edible, based on the related cabbage palmetto. Traditional healers used root preparations for high blood pressure, kidney complaints and sore eyes. People have also used the dried leaves to thatch huts.