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Scrub Palmetto

Sabal etonia

Found in florida scrub. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

68
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 24%

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 25 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Florida scrub

Evergreen scrub oaks, sand pine and rosemary on deep, white, drought-prone sand ridges, burned rarely but intensely; distinct from the longleaf and turkey oak sandhills.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 121 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Sabal

  • Atheloca subrufellaPalm Bud Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Erechthias minusculaCaribbean Scavenger Moth
  • Euphyes arpaPalmetto Skipper
  • Homaledra heptathalamaExclamation Moth
  • Homaledra sabalellaPalm Leaf Skeletonizer
  • Litoprosopus futilisCabbage Palm Caterpillar, Palmetto Borer
  • Seirarctia echoEcho Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Homaledra howardi
Show all 12
  • Homaledra knudsoni
  • Phormoestes palmettovora
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
30BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Sabal

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Sabal

  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Arecaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Conservation status

Florida rankS4
Global rankNot available
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources