Cabbage Palm

When growing on organic soil or soil with a deep organic layer, very
severe fires may consume the soil itself, killing cabbage palmettos by
root damage and lack of mechanical support [19].

More info for the terms: fire frequency, fire severity, frequency, severity

Frequent fires allow cabbage palmetto to form pure stands and invade
mixed stands [19]. Twenty-one years of fires in Everglades National
Park resulted in a net increase in cabbage palmetto stems [17]. Egler
wrote that the increase in fire severity and decrease in fire frequency
following European settlement allowed cabbage palmettos to dominate high
hammock communities in southern Florida [6].

cabbage palmetto

More info for the terms: drupe, fruit, perfect, seed, tree

The cabbage palmetto is an erect, unbranched palm tree. It grows to a
height of 33 to 82 feet (10-25 m) with a stem diameter of 12 to 24
inches (30-60 cm). Typically the stem diameter is uniform from the
base to the crown. Leaf bases or "boots" may persist on the stem or
slough off, giving the stem a smooth appearance [5,19,21].

Cabbage palmetto leaves are fan-shaped, palmately divided, and
spineless. They are borne on a prominately-arching midrib and may be 3
to 9 feet (1-3 m) long. Cabbage palmetto flowers are perfect, showy,
and creamy to yellowish white. They are borne in arching or drooping
clusters. The fruit is a black, fleshy, drupe that contains a single
brown spherical seed [13]. Sargent (1933 in [19]) described the cabbage
palmetto root system as a short, bulbous, underground stem surrounded by
a dense mass of contorted roots with smaller, light orange roots
penetrating the soil to a depth of 15 to 20 feet (4.6-6.1 m).

Cabbage palmetto grows throughout peninsular Florida and the Florida
Keys. It grows in the coastal areas of the Florida panhandle, Georgia,
and South Carolina [19,22]. It is cultivated in Hawaii [23]. Outside of
the United States, cabbage palmetto occurs in the Bahamas and Cuba
[19,22].

More info for the term: fire regime

Cabbage palmetto grows in areas where ground fires are frequent and
common but crown fires are rare. It has a well-protected, deeply
imbedded terminal bud, which is held aloft on a fire-resistant trunk.
It survives fire [19].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the term: relict

Climate: Cabbage palmetto grows in a humid, subtropical to
warm-temperate climate. Within its range, the average annual rainfall
is 39 to 64 inches (100-163 cm). The average maximum and minimum
temperatures range from 97 to 25 degrees F (36 to -4 deg C). Low winter
temperatures probably limit cabbage palmetto's northern range.

Soils: Cabbage palmetto tolerates a wide range of soil acidities,
salinities, and drainage conditions. It grows best on neutral to
alkaline soils which are rich in calcium. Because of its calcium
affinity, cabbage palmetto frequently grows near exposed calcareous
sands, marls, and limestones. Cabbage palmetto prefers poorly to very
poorly drained soils and often grows on the edge of freshwater and
brackish wetlands. It tolerates salt and occasional flooding. The
Entisol, Alfisol, Ultisol, and Spodosol soil orders all support cabbage
palmetto.

At the northern limit of its range, cabbage palmetto grows mainly on the
baysides of coastal dunes. In central Florida it grows on periodically
flooded lowlands, relict inland dunes, and ridges below 100 feet (30 m).
With drainage, cabbage palmetto invades the once seasonally inundated
interhammock glades. Along freshwater sources, cabbage palmetto can
form pure stands covering up to 25 acres (10 ha). Such stands are
called "river hammocks" if along a river, and "cabbage-palm hammocks" or
"palm savannas" if inland [1].

Cabbage palmetto growth may indicate sites influenced by subtropical
conditions [12] or frequent fires [15].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

70 Longleaf pine
73 Southern redcedar
74 Cabbage palmetto
84 Slash pine
105 Tropical hardwoods
111 South Florida slash pine

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES41 Wet grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K079 Palmetto prairie
K090 Live oak - sea oats
K092 Everglades
K112 Southern mixed forest
K115 Sand pine scrub
K116 Subtropical pine forest

Cabbage palmettos probably sustain only superficial damage from most
fires.

More info for the term: fruit

Black bears, raccoons, bats, northern bobwhites, wild turkeys,
ring-necked gulls, cardinals, great-tailed grackles, blue jays, and
scrub jays all eat cabbage palmetto fruit [19,23]. White-tailed deer
also eat the fruit, but cabbage palmetto foliage is not browsed [13].

More info for the terms: cactus, fern, swamp, tree, xeric

In southern Florida, cabbage palmetto is a common component of high and
low hammock, tree island, and mixed conifer-hardwood swamp communities
[2,3,7,9,10,13,15]. Elsewhere it grows in more xeric scrub and Miami
rock-ridge inland communities [4,15]. In the Florida Panhandle,
Georgia, and South Carolina, cabbage palmetto grows within 12 miles (20
km) of the coast. It is a componenet of several diverse plant
communities, including those characteristic of dunes, salt flats,
barrier islands, and cactus thickets [1].

Associates are many and varied because of the diversity of Florida's
flora and the ecological amplitude of cabbage palmetto. Overstory
associates include south Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var.
densa), slash pine (P. elliottii var. elliottii), pond pine (P.
serotina), loblolly pine (P. taeda), longleaf pine (P. palustris),
eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), various evergreen oaks (Quercus
spp.), loblolly-bay (Gordonia lasianthus), red bay (Persea borbonia),
magnolia (Magnolia spp.), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), red maple
(Acer rubrum), baldcypress (Taxodium spp.), pignut hickory (Carya
glabra), gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba), and cocoplum (Chrysobalanus
icaco). Understory associates include gallberry (Ilex glabra),
huckleberries (Gaylussacia spp.), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), lyonias
(Lyonia spp.), southern bayberry (Merica cerifera), holly (Ilex spp.),
saw-palmetto (Serenoa repens), greenbriar (Smilax spp.), bracken fern
(Pteridium spp.), poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), bluestem
(Andropogon spp.), sawgrass (Cladium jamaicensis), and beak rush
(Rhynchospora spp.). Exotic associates and probable competitors include
casuarina (Casuarina spp.), melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia), coconut
(Cocos nucifera), and Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolia).

More info for the term: tree

Tree

More info for the term: natural

The extensive use of cabbage palmetto for urban landscaping is depleting
natural stocks. Cabbage palmetto management is clearly needed, though
untried. Wade and Langdon [19] suggest that cabbage palmetto
silviculture should be fairly simple. Even and uneven-aged management
of mixed or pure stands are appropriate. Site drainage and aerial
applications of 2-4-D will damage cabbage palmetto stands [19].

FL GA HI SC

More info for the term: tree

The terminal bud of cabbage palmetto is edible and tastes somewhat like
cabbage (Brassica spp.)--hence the name. Removal of the bud kills the
tree. Cabbage palmetto leaves are used to make canes, scrub brushes,
thatch, and baskets. Bees use its pollen. Cabbage palmetto is a
popular ornamental [19,23].

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Cabbage palmetto flowers from April to August, depending on latitude.
Fruits begin to develop in the fall and are mature by winter [13,19,23].

More info for the term: competition

Most fires probably favor cabbage palmetto growth by removing
competition.

not applicable

More info for the term: seed

Cabbage palmetto flowers are insect pollinated [13,19,23]. Fruits
persist on the spadix until removed by wind, rain, or birds such as
ringed-neck gulls, fish crows, cardinals, and blue jays. On the ground,
cabbage palmetto seeds are eaten or cached by small mammals. Birds and
mammals act as dispersal agents. Cabbage palmetto seeds are buoyant and
salt resistant. Near coastal areas, water is an important means of seed
dispersal as well [23]. Meyers (1977 in [19]) reports that seed
survival is low. Of roughly 620,000 seeds produced per acre
(1,500,000/ha), only about 9 percent survive frugivory. Seeds exposed
to sunlight for long periods do not germinate well. The first year's
growth consists of a primary root, one fully expanded leaf, and a
rhizomatous stem. There is no information on vegetative growth [19].

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More info for the terms: climax, forest, formation

The successional status of cabbage palmetto is disputed. Wade and
Langdon [19] described it as shade-tolerant, and characteristic of
climatic climax, and fire climax communities. Daubenmire [4], however,
described it as an early seral, woody invader of open savannas.
Similarly, Zona [23] reported that it is shade intolerant and that
seedlings under a closed canopy remain suppressed and form no
aboveground stem. Stem elongation and sexual maturation await gap
formation in the canopy. In more open habitats along forest edges, on
dunes, and in abandoned fields, growth and recruitment are immediate
with no suppressed stage. Cabbage palmetto thrives in anthropogenic
habitats.

Sabal jamesiana Small

The currently accepted scientific name for cabbage palmetto is Sabal
palmetto (Walt.) Lodd. (Arecaceae). There are no infrataxa [22].

More info for the terms: fruit, stratification, tree

Cabbage palmetto is the most wind-resistant tree in southern Florida and
is relatively resistant to damaging insects and other pathogens [19].
It tolerates salt spray and brackish water [23]. These attributes make
cabbage palmetto potentially useful for disturbed site rehabilitation.

Propagation of cabbage palmetto in the nursery requires the collection
of ripe fruits. Seeds can be separated with a macerator or by rubbing
the fruit on hardware cloth. Seeds require no pretreatment to break
dormancy, but stratification in moist sand for 30 days at 38 degrees F
(3 deg C) speeds germination. Seeds should be planted 0.5 to 1 inch
(1.5-3 cm) deep in light soil and should not be allowed to dry out.
There are about 1,650 dried seeds per pound (3,630/kg) [13].

Cabbage palmetto wood is sea-worm resistant, splinter resistant, and
unusual looking (no growth rings). It is used for warf pilings, poles,
broom handles, and ornamental table tops [19,21].