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Saw Palmetto

Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small

Comments

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The range of this species extends from Beaufort, Jasper, Colletin, and Charleston counties, South Carolina to St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Reports of it from Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas are in error.

Two or three leaf-color morphs are found in Serenoa (A. D. Hawkes 1950). The green type is more widespread, and the glaucous or blue-gray type seems to be more abundant in coastal sites of southeastern Florida. Serenoa repens forma glauca Moldenke was described as differing from the typical form of the species in having glaucous leaf blades (H. N. Moldenke 1967). Since a type specimen for S. repens is lacking, it is impossible to know if Moldenke’s form differs from the type. The genetic basis for these color differences is not understood.

Serenoa repens apparently is pollinated by bees. Flowering and fruiting are not necessarily annual events, and some years see more abundant flowering than others (J. B. Hilmon 1968). Even when flowering is abundant, fruit production is erratic (D. Smith 1972); the causes are quite unknown. When fruits are present, they are eagerly sought by black bears (D. S. Maehr 1984; D. S. Maehr and J. R. Brady 1984), white-tailed deer (R. F. Harlow 1961), raccoons, foxes, opossums, and various birds (J. B. Hilmon 1968).

Serenoa fruits are the source of a steroidal drug that inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which binds to receptors in the prostate gland and in hair follicles (B. C. Bennett and J. R. Hicklin, in press1998). This inhibition is the biochemical basis for the use of Serenoa extracts in treating benign prostrate swelling and baldness. Bennett and Hicklin provided a complete review of the uses of Serenoa in traditional and modern medicine, as well as its use as a fiber and thatch plant.

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
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Flora of North America Vol. 22: 105 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Description

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Stems usually creeping, branched, sometimes ascending, to 1--3 m. Leaves yellow-green, green, or silvery green, stiff; petioles finely to strongly serrate; hastula present on both sides of leafabaxially and adaxially. Flowers creamy white, fragrant, 4--5 mm. Fruits ripening from green through orange to black, length ca. 2 cm, diam. 1 cm. 2n = 36.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 22: 105 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Distribution

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Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., S.C.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
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Flora of North America Vol. 22: 105 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flowering/Fruiting

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Flowering spring.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 22: 105 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Habitat

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Pinelands, dunes, sand pine scrub, mesic hammocks and woodlands, plants colonial, often forming dense stands in the understory; 0--50m.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 22: 105 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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Synonym

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Corypha repens W. Bartram, Travels Carolina, 61. 1791; Brahea serrulata (Michaux) H. Wendland; Chamaerops serrulata Michaux; Corypha obliqua W. Bartram; Sabal serrulata (Michaux) Nuttall ex Schultes & Schultes f.; Serenoa serrulata (Michaux) G. Nicholson
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 22: 105 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee
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eFloras.org
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Economic Significance

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This plant is noted for its ability to effectively treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and many other medical uses. Additionaly, Serenoa repens' petiole fibers are used by the Seminoles of southern Florida to make dolls.

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Amy Chang
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Lookalikes

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Serenoa repens may be confused in the field with some low-growing species of Sabal palms, but Serenoa repens petioles (leafstalks) are covered with many tiny prickles and the leaves lack the prominent extension of the petiole along some or much of the length of the leaf that is evident in Sabal. Everglade Palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii) has green flowers (rather than white) and larger, stouter, usually curved orange prickles on the petiole. (Petrides 1988)

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Shapiro, Leo
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Common Names

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: shrub, tree

saw palmetto


TAXONOMY:
The scientific name for saw palmetto is Serenoa repens (Bartr.) Small
(Arecaceae) [10]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties, or
forms [24].


LIFE FORM:
Tree, Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status

OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY





DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Serenoa repens
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Saw palmetto is endemic to peninsular Florida and the coastal plains
from southeastern Louisiana to southern South Carolina [10,19].
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bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Distribution

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the term: forest

Saw palmetto is endemic to peninsular Florida and the coastal plains
from southeastern Louisiana to southern South Carolina [10,19].



Distribution map from USGS:
1977 USDA, Forest Service map provided by Thompson and others [44].

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cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Fire Management Considerations

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: cover, fire suppression, fireline intensity, flame length, fruit

Saw palmetto is well adapted to fire, making it difficult to control.
It can be held in check using fire, but it remains vigorous and recovers
[40,22]. Very short fire-rotations (1 to 3 years) perpetuate
saw palmetto understories and kill pine seedlings on palmetto-prairies
which might otherwise support well-stocked pine stands [40]. Summer
fires are most effective at removing saw palmetto top-growth [18].

The effects of fire suppression on saw palmetto depends on the plant
communities it occupies. Fire suppression may decrease saw palmetto
cover in scrub communities where other understory hardwoods can overtop
it. In contrast, suppression, long rotations, and light fires cause
Southern pinelands to become overgrown with saw palmetto [7].

Overgrown saw palmetto understories constitute fire hazards, which
promote wildfires that may kill pine seedlings and saplings [8,40].
Tall saw palmetto understories also carry wildfires into the overstory,
killing mature trees [33,36]. Saw palmetto is the largest contributor
to understory fuels in the Florida pinelands [36].

Consult Ward [42] to predict particulate matter emmision rates from
fireline intensity and flame length for prescribed fires in the
saw palmetto-gallberry type. Saw palmetto foliage yields 2,150,000
calories per pound (4,800 dcCal/g) and is 34 percent ash [21].

To maintain fruit production for white-tailed deer, Fults [13]
recommends burning saw palmetto understories every 3 to 5 years.
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Life Form

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: shrub, tree

Tree, Shrub
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Management considerations

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: competition, cover, forbs, forest, fuel

Saw palmetto is a pest and fire hazard in Southern timber stands. It
contributes large amounts of combustible fuel to forest understories and
competes with pines (Pinus spp.) for moisture, nutrients, and space
[3,21].

Silvicultural and range management objectives often call for
saw palmetto control. Centuries of open range, abusive burning, and
excessive grazing have converted many flatwood-bluestem (Andropogon
spp.) ranges into flatwood-saw palmetto ranges [18]. Saw palmetto
control releases palatable grasses and forbs for livestock and deer, and
reduces competition with conifers [13]. Mist-blower applications of the
herbicide 2,4,5-T provide effective control [19,23], especially when
used in conjunction with prescribed burning [3] or other defoliation
treatments [23]. Following defoliation by fire or mechanical treatment,
saw palmetto should be sprayed when new shoots appear (approximately 6
months later) [38].

Saw palmetto does not regenerate well following mechanical removal [5].
Mechanical disturbance which dislodges, uproots, and cuts saw palmetto
stems and rhizomes provides effective control [19]. Roller-drum
choppers pulled in tandem at offset angles [13] or perpendicular to each
other [28] may reduce saw palmetto cover by 90 percent 2 years after
treatment [13]. Chop-rest-chop rotations provide continued range
maintenance [18].

When wildlife or cover management goals require saw palmetto
enhancement, use rock phosphate fertilizer [28] or site drainage [40] to
increase cover.
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Phenology

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More info on this topic.

Saw palmetto blooms between April and July [10,19,32]. Maximum spadix
initiation begins after the danger of frost is past and may be
stimulated by rising temperatures. The fruits ripen in September and
October. Maximum saw palmetto growth occurs during the summer rainy
season, achieving 80 percent of annual production between April and
October [8,14,32].
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Post-fire Regeneration

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
More info for the terms: caudex, root crown

survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
survivor species; on-site surviving rhizomes
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Taxonomy

provided by Fire Effects Information System Plants
The scientific name for saw palmetto is Serenoa repens (Bartr.) Small
(Arecaceae) [10]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties, or
forms [24].
license
cc-publicdomain
bibliographic citation
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Serenoa repens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/

Serenoa

provided by wikipedia EN

Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is a small palm, growing to a maximum height around 7–10 ft (2.1–3.0 m).

Taxonomy

It is the sole species in the genus Serenoa. The generic name honors American botanist Sereno Watson.

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic to the subtropical and tropical Southeastern United States,[4] most commonly along the south Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains and sand hills. It grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal areas, and as undergrowth in pine woods or hardwood hammocks.[5]

Description

Erect stems or trunks are rarely produced, but are found in some populations. It is a hardy plant; extremely slow-growing, and long-lived, with some plants (especially in Florida) possibly being as old as 500–700 years.[6]

Saw palmetto is a fan palm, with the leaves that have a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole is armed with fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species its common name. The teeth or spines are easily capable of breaking the skin, and protection should be worn when working around a saw palmetto. The leaves are light green inland, and silvery-white in coastal regions. The leaves are 1–2 m in length, the leaflets 50–100 cm long. They are similar to the leaves of the palmettos of genus Sabal. The flowers are yellowish-white, about 5 mm across, produced in dense compound panicles up to 60 cm long.

Ecology

The fruit is a large reddish-black drupe and is an important food source for wildlife and historically for humans. The plant is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species such as Batrachedra decoctor, which feeds exclusively on the plant.

Medical research

Saw palmetto extract has been studied as a possible treatment for people with prostate cancer and for men with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).[5][7][8] As of 2018, there is insufficient scientific evidence that saw palmetto extract is effective for treating cancer or BPH and its symptoms.[7][8][9]

One 2016 review of clinical studies with a standardized extract of saw palmetto (called Permixon) found that the extract was safe and may be effective for relieving BPH-induced urinary symptoms compared against a placebo.[10]

Ethnobotany

Indigenous names are reported to include: tala or talimushi ("palmetto's uncle") in Choctaw; cani (Timucua); ta ́:la (Koasati); taalachoba ("big palm", Alabama); ta:laɬ a ́ kko ("big palm", Creek); talco ́:bˆı ("big palm", Mikasuki); and guana (Taíno, possibly).[11] Saw palmetto fibers have been found among materials from indigenous people as far north as Wisconsin and New York, strongly suggesting this material was widely traded prior to European contact.[12] The leaves are used for thatching by several indigenous groups, so commonly that a location in Alachua County, Florida, is named Kanapaha ("palm house").[13] The fruit may have been used to treat an unclear form of fish poisoning by the Seminoles and Lucayans.[14]

References

  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. ^ "Serenoa repens". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  3. ^ "Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online.
  4. ^ "Serenoa repens". Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
  5. ^ a b "Serenoa in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  6. ^ Tanner, George W.; J. Jeffrey Mullahey; David Maehr (July 1996). "Saw-palmetto: An Ecologically and Economically Important Native Palm" (PDF). Electronic Data Information Source of UF/IFAS Extension. Circular WEC-109. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Saw palmetto". Drugs.com. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Spotlight on saw palmetto: What the science says". NCCIH Clinical Digest for Health Professionals, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  9. ^ Tacklind, James; MacDonald, Roderick; Rutks, Indy; Stanke, Judith U.; Wilt, Timothy J. (2012). "Serenoa repens for benign prostatic hyperplasia". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 12 (12): CD001423. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001423.pub3. PMC 7084061. PMID 23235581.
  10. ^ Novara, Giacomo; Giannarini, Gianluca; Alcaraz, Antonio; Cózar-Olmo, José-M.; Descazeaud, Aurelien; Montorsi, Francesco; Ficarra, Vincenzo (2016). "Efficacy and safety of hexanic lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens (Permixon) in the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials". European Urology Focus. 2 (5): 553–561. doi:10.1016/j.euf.2016.04.002. PMID 28723522. S2CID 19219564.
  11. ^ Austin, DF (2004). Florida Ethnobotany. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-2332-4.
  12. ^ Whitford AC (1941). "Textile fibers used in eastern aboriginal North America". Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History. 38: 5–22. hdl:2246/92.
  13. ^ Simpson, JC (1956). A Provisional Gazetteer of Florida Place-Names of Indian Derivation. Tallahassee: Florida Geological Survey. OCLC 1099766.
  14. ^ Sturtevant, WC (1955). The Mikasuki Seminole: Medical Beliefs and Practices. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.

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Serenoa: Brief Summary

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Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is a small palm, growing to a maximum height around 7–10 ft (2.1–3.0 m).

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