Scrub Palmetto
Sabal etonia
Scrub Palmetto is an unusual palm that is found only from just below Jacksonville to Miami Dade County along the coast and also the Lake Wales Ridge of central Florida. It looks a lot like a Sabal Palm, yet has shorter, more twisted leaves and doesn’t develop a trunk.
The total height is rarely over four feet. The sweet, half inch black fruit is edible and is a good wildlife food. The central bud can be eaten as heart of palm, yet this kills the plant. Better to eat some of the many Sabal Palm seedlings that often come up in unwanted places.
This is a tough plant that is very drought tolerant and can take some salt air, but no salt water flooding. It grows in deep scrub soils where there is some organic matter and richness. Juno Hills Preserve is a great place to see it in Northern Palm Beach County.
Here it is mixed with Saw Palmetto, Scrub Redbay, Scrub Oaks, Necklace Pod, Saffron Plum, Hercules Club, Wild coffee, Dune Sunflower, Slash Pine, Beautyberry, Sand Pine, Beach Cocoplum and Wild Lime. In the landscape, you can mix in many other plants as long as it gets plenty of sunlight.
This is a great plant if you want a palm that stays low and never needs to be cut back. Try it near a building or the center of a circular driveway. Butterflies and bees will visit the flowers. Bees will not sting, which causes their death, to protect a flower. Nests, which can be anywhere, are another matter.